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This website is in imminent danger of being shut down. It has been online since 1995, but the personal circumstances of the owner, Malcolm Farnsworth, are such that economies have to be made. Server costs and suchlike have become prohibitive. At the urging of people online, I have agreed to see if Patreon provides a solution. More information is available at the Patreon website. If you are able to contribute even $1.00/month to keep the site running, please click the Patreon button below.


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Parliamentary Committee Recommends Referendum On Local Government

Jan 24, 2013

The Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition of Local Government has recommended that a referendum on financial recognition of local government be held in conjunction with this year’s federal election.

The Committee recommends that Section 96 of the Constitution be amended to read:

…the Parliament may grant financial assistance to any State or to any local government body formed by State or Territory legislation on such terms and conditions as the Parliament thinks fit.

The report argues that uncertainty arising from the High Court’s Pape v Commissioner of Taxation (2009) and Williams v Commonwealth of Australia (2012) cases creates a “moment for action” that should result in a referendum this year. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Constitutional Reform, Local Government, Parliamentary Committees Tagged With: , , , ,

Federal Links With Local Government Will Grow: Howard

Nov 10, 2004

There are “growing opportunities for direct co-operation between the Federal Government and local government”, according to the Prime Minister, John Howard.

Addressing the Australian Local Government Association, Howard reiterated his view that “my philosophy and the philosophy of the Government is very much that we’re not going to be hidebound by a particular model or a particular framework of relationship between another level of government, but rather as we demonstrated in the attitude we took to our programme of providing funding for local roads that if the better outcome, the more efficient outcome, the more economic outcome was to deal directly with local government and to bypass state governments we would be willing to do so.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federalism, Howard, Local Government Tagged With: , , ,