NSW local government reform: council amalgamation, antagonism, and resistance

Khandakar Farid Uddin*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    7 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The New South Wales State Government announced its local government strategic reform programme Fit for the Future in 2014. At the centre of the plan was the desire to reduce the number of local government areas. Opponents mobilised various resistance strategies to challenge amalgamation. However, the initial efforts to resist amalgamation failed but opponents got success in opposing amalgamation via the legal system. As such, the New South Wales State Government was forced to abandon its plans to amalgamate some regional and metropolitan councils in response to community opposition and resistance. Despite a growing body of existing literature, to date, the analyses of local government reform fail to examine the rationale and strategies of community opposition. To examine the public participation, community opposition, and resistance, this paper draws on the research that pertains to the proposed merger of the Ryde, Lane Cove, and Hunters Hill councils.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article numbere1725
    Pages (from-to)1-8
    Number of pages8
    JournalJournal of Public Affairs
    Volume18
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Nov 2018

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