Bulletin n. 2-3/2012 | ||
October 2012-February 2013 | ||
Megarrity Lyndon |
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Regional dreams: Local government and its relationship with the commonwealth, 1943-75 | ||
in Public Policy , Volume 7 Issue 1 , 2012 , 7-22 | ||
This paper traces the evolution of the Commonwealth-local government relationship from 1943 to 1975 with an emphasis on federal attempts to incorporate local government within broader regional frameworks. Between 1943 and 1975, local government was seen by the Commonwealth as an important feature of the federal system, but Labor in particular reacted to local issues by wanting to transform local governments into regional authorities, or, at times, by bypassing the local government sector altogether. The ambivalent nature of Labor's relationship with local government reflected the uncertain status of the local government sector in the federal system, as well as the Commonwealth's preference for generic, 'big picture' regionalism over addressing more specific local concerns such as autonomy and identity. | ||