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One Size Does Not Fit All

The Special Case of Remote Small Local Councils in Outback Queensland

Bibliographic Data

ID6303949
AuthorsBrian Dollery (0000-0003-2760-865X, University of New England), Bligh Grant (0000-0002-8055-6046), Joe Wallis (0000-0002-6584-3426, American University of Sharjah), Alexandr Akimov (0000-0002-1977-1476, Griffith University)
Year2010
Volume36
Issue1
Pages21-42
Publication date2010-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueLocal Government Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0300-3930 • E-ISSN: 1743-9388
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03003930903435716
OpenAlexW2076416544
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited12

The analysis of Australian local government reform almost invariably focuses on systemic changes that can be wrought by the application of various policy instruments, like the structural reform of the scale of local councils or changes to the enabling legislation governing local government. Scholars typically use this approach and differentiate the efficacy of reform measures according to classifications of council by generic type. While this approach has been exceedingly fruitful in the past, this paper argues that small, remote and isolated Australian local authorities are sui generis in the sense that they are not amenable to standard reform policies because their unique circumstances and special characteristics. The paper considers the case of local shires in the Central West outback region of Queensland that comprise the Remote Areas Planning and Development Board (RAPAD) group of councils and attempts to draw some general lessons for local government policymakers. Despite the recent limited forced consolidation experienced by some RAPAD councils, we find that the 'tyranny of distance' afflicting RAPAD members means that it is not amenable to 'top-down' reform measures, like council amalgamation, and policy makers should instead focus on 'local solutions to local problems' and encourage feasible forms of resource sharing

Geography · Political science · Sociology · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Public Policy and Administration Research

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Unique citing works14
Citations per year0,88
Citation span2010 - 2025 (16)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 13
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