Australia's National Local Government Newspaper Online

LG's role in health and community services

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) is currently conducting a major examination of the role of Local Government in health and community services. The context for the project are reforms currently occurring in Local Government and foreshadowed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).

The health and wellbeing of the Australian community is a central and ongoing concern of all three spheres of Australian government.

Local Government plays an integral role in both traditional activities in community development and environmental protection, and the diverse health and community service responsibilities it has increasingly assumed in recent years.

In the health and community services sector, there are profound changes taking place in the roles and responsibilities of Federal and State Governments. Both have tended to take Local Government for granted, regarding Councils merely as a conduit for their health and community service delivery.

However, as a consequence of Local Government reform processes, Local Government must make choices about its priorities to meet local needs as perceived by its elected representatives.

While partnership agreements are being developed between Federal and State Governments, the ALGA Health and Community Services project identifies the need to develop a coherent framework to involve Local Government and reflect its wide ranging health and community service roles and responsibilities.

The project clearly identifies the need to recognise Local Government's significant planning, coordinating and monitoring role for local communities, as well as its service delivery roles. State and Territory Local Government Associations have an important role to play in developing arrangements suitable for their State or Territory.

The project also examines some of the major shortcomings of the current arrangements for the provision of local health and community services. It provides an overview of how Local Government sees the future, and how it can contribute to a better system for planning and delivering local health and community services.

One of the primary outcomes of the project will be a basis for Local Government to be engaged in the important dialogue affecting the future of health and community services in this country.

The project is managed by a broadly based steering committee, chaired by Professor Bob Douglas, Director of the National Centre of Epidemiology and Population Research at the Australian National University and funded under the Local Government Development Program, and is expected to be completed by mid year. Its findings will be promoted widely throughout the Local Government sector as well as in discussions with the Commonwealth and State Governments.

For further information on this project contact John Pritchard at ALGA, telephone (06) 281 1211.

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