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Why is a more effective model of regional governance so hard to find and implement? Ten Questions

Why is a more effective model of regional governance so hard to find and implement? Ten Questions A J Brown John F Kearney Professor of Public Law Centre for Governance & Public Policy Griffith University, Gold Coast QLD, Australia a.j.brown@griffith.edu.au www.griffith.edu.au/federalism

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Why is a more effective model of regional governance so hard to find and implement? Ten Questions

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  1. Why is a more effective model of regional governance so hard to find and implement? Ten Questions A J Brown John F Kearney Professor of Public LawCentre for Governance & Public PolicyGriffith University, Gold Coast QLD, Australiaa.j.brown@griffith.edu.au www.griffith.edu.au/federalism Armidale, 12 October 2012

  2. Why is a more effective model of Australian regional governance so hard to find and implement? • Because of: • Constitutional questions • Should regional governance be part of our basic political structures? • If so, how? • Cultural questions • Competing regional attachments (state-regionalism v. region-regionalism) • Australian administrative / governance culture • The ‘mendicant mentality’ of local and regional politics • Pragmatic / policy questions • What regions? • What boundaries? • What functions? • What institutions? • What public value / efficiency / return on investment?

  3. Why is a more effective model of Australian regional governance so hard to find and implement? • Because of: • Constitutional questions • Should regional governance be part of our basic political structures? • Yes, of course • Yes, but only in administrative (not political or constitutional) arrangements • Isn’t it already? • No… what’s the issue? • If so, how?

  4. New state ideas (Country Party?) • No state ideas (provinces/regions) (ALP?)

  5. Australian Constitutional Values Survey • Conducted nationally in Australia by Newspoll Limited • Originally funded by the Australian Research Council, Discovery Project DP0666833 – led by Griffith University, with Charles Sturt University, University of New England, University of Melbourne, UNSW • Conducted by telephone over 1-8 May 2008, 1-14 March 2010,September 2012 (underway) • Stratified random sample, respondents aged 18 years and over • Results post-weighted to Australian Bureau of Statistics data on age, highest level of schooling, sex, and area • National 2008: 1,201 respondents • National 2010: 1,100 respondents

  6. Major preferences for the future, ‘say 20 years from now’ Thinking again about how our system of government could be in 20 years, in particular, about four possible levels of government – federal, state, regional and local. Which of those fourlevels of government would you have in the future? You can have as many or as few as you like.

  7. Fig 4. Main combinations of preferences, 20 years from now

  8. Why is a more effective model of Australian regional governance so hard to find and implement? • Because of: • Constitutional questions • Should regional governance be part of our basic political structures? • If so, how? • Cultural questions • Competing regional attachments (state-regionalism v. region-regionalism) • Australian administrative / governance culture • The ‘mendicant mentality’ of local and regional politics

  9. Strength of belonging to local area, region, state, nation (2008) (n=1201) Multiple regression *p < .001

  10. Table 1. Desirability of features of a multi-levelled system (2010, n=1100) For each of the following, please say if you think it is a desirable feature,or an undesirable feature of having different levels of government:

  11. Table 2. Australian federal political culture (2010, n=1100)

  12. Federal political culture, by regional belonging groups (%) (2008) 74.2 65.4 60.6 More federalist   Less federalist

  13. Thinking of the federal government as being the highest level of government, and state and then local as being lower levels of government. Which one of the following comes closest to your view about where decisions should be made? (2008)

  14. Why is a more effective model of Australian regional governance so hard to find and implement? • Because of: • Constitutional questions • Should regional governance be part of our basic political structures? • If so, how? • Cultural questions • Competing regional attachments (state-regionalism v. region-regionalism) • Australian administrative / governance culture • The ‘mendicant mentality’ of local and regional politics • Pragmatic / policy questions • What regions? • What boundaries? • What functions? • What institutions? • What public value / efficiency / return on investment?

  15. Major combinations of preferences for system of government,20 years from now – case study regions (March 2010, unweighted)

  16. Major combinations of preferences for system of government,20 years from now – case study regions (March 2010, unweighted)

  17. Central WesternQueensland Central Western Queensland - ABS Statistical Division - former RAPAD (ROC & REDO) - current RAPAD (ROC & REDO) - Qld Govt [Draft] Regional Plan & Reg Planning Advisory Cttee (Qld Dept of Infra & Planning) - Outback Regional Roads Group (Qld Dept of Main Roads) 0 175 350 km Local Govt variants - LGAQ Central West District - Western Queensland LGA Desert Channels QldNRM regional body Federal Government - Central Qld Area Consultative Committee (ACC) - Regional Development Australia (Central Qld) - Qld Dept Communities, DEEDI (Fitzroy/CWest) Federal & State agency admin regions

  18. Griffith Mildura Wagga Deniliquin Albury Wodonga Shepparton CMA boundaries Former ACC boundaries Changes – new RDA boundaries RAMROC / REROC boundary Riverina (Murrumbidgee) & Murray region(s)

  19. Greater Western Sydney

  20. Chairperson,Deputy ChairpersonRegional Coordination Advisory Board directly elected at time of local elections Regional Coordination Advisory Board Membership determined by local consultation and/or local convention, including: Local government (direct) Local government (ROC(s)) Area Consultative Committee(s) NRM Regional Body / Catchment Management Authority Other regional program advisory committees etc Localgovernment State government (Premiers, DLG) Federal government (DOTARS, PM&C) DirectorRegional Coordination UnitChair, Federal & State Regional Managers Forums Secretariat Appointed $$$ Meeting / conference support Accounting, governance & reporting support Planning & community engagement coordination Regional budgeting & resource pooling Training & capacity-building Majorprojects Transport planning groups Regional health ACC Natural resource mgt regional body A model of regional governance (Brown 2007)

  21. Why is a more effective model of Australian regional governance so hard to find and implement? • Because of: • Constitutional questions • Should regional governance be part of our basic political structures? • If so, how? • Cultural questions • Competing regional attachments (state-regionalism v. region-regionalism) • Australian administrative / governance culture • The ‘mendicant mentality’ of local and regional politics • Pragmatic / policy questions • What regions? • What boundaries? • What functions? • What institutions? • What public value / efficiency / return on investment?

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