Local Government insights and expert advice, by a bona fide expert with over 75 publications in the best journals from Australia and abroad. Advice for tertiary students. Guest videos from leading scholars from around the world. Latest scholarly publication summaries. This channel is my own personal intellectual property.
This not just good advice for academic writing but for any topic you want to formal put forward. It also helps to shape your position in debate and discussion on the issues you are raising.
thanks so much for your positive comment. I have more videos on this topic and will make additional ones also, so please subscribe and tell others. Best wishes, Joseph
I am going to require this to my 400 person class this Fall - 2024. I agree with every sentiment - about this being the most powerful weapon in politics - and that Riker is the best!
no problems, I know several people who use my videos for teaching purposes. If you want more videos just sing out. I also wrote a good chapter on both rhetoric and heresthetic in my recent book Selling Public Policy. What is really interesting is how and why people might combine rhetoric with heresthetic. You can contact me via researchgate and i can send the chapters if you wish. Best Wishes, JD
It amazing when you have a group who are willing to come into a meeting with a open mind listen to the information presented understand their own personal situation ask questions of fact allow time for open debate allow for reflection or analysis of issues. How it changes people's attitudes to the issue. You may not get agreement but you normally well reach agreence
yes they were a great group of people. I always say that if you give people good information then they will make good decisions…..if only we could broaden the conversation to the rest of the country!
thanks for taking the time to write to me. I am putting up more videos on formatting papers etc soon. Sing out if you have topics that you would like me to cover in the future. Don’t forget to subscribe!
Joseph. A great video and a simple explanation of things that often go unquestioned. Is there somewhere convenient to find the arguments being put forward in favour of CIV in NSW?
IPART - our equivalent of the ESC - did a review of rates making this recommendation. The ILGRP also wrote on this. I have the ILGRP on file if you email me
I agree that three tiers of government are too many. But LG is the most affordable, collecting around less than 4% of the taxation, but maintaining over 80% of the roads. LG is your best bang for your buck.
@@professorjosephdrew6598 It seems to me that local government is effectively a business unit of the states, but with an additional layer of bureaucracy and often inadequate oversight and performance standards. It primarily exists to allow a lot of buck-passing to take place politically, and is substantially constrained by a lack of adequate funding, setting up a lovely political opportunity for blame-shifting on both sides. This is particularly an issue for the larger Councils, where professional politicians occupy the benches in the Council Chamber. There's nothing a politician loves more than having a handy scapegoat to point at. It's also by far the most corrupt, albeit mostly at the petty end of the spectrum.
even sader when Council won't even consider special rate variation. A SRV should be a consideration to all Council when building their budget especially when common response from Councillors and Council Executives is we have no money and we working on grant money is just pure financial negligence. Keep up the good work as all videos provide thought conversation that leads to education.
Yes, I have long argued for automatic triggers to force councils to apply for a srv when financial sustainability is in jeopardy. Thanks for your support!
Joseph, does the data suggest that councils doing well with unrestricted cash are continuing to do well (i.e. stable) and councils not doing well are quickly getting worse?
very kind of you to take the time to write. I sometimes wonder whether it is worth the grief to swim against the tide - comments like this keep me going. Are these videos based on my database helpful? Is there anything you think I could do to improve their value for practitioners? Best wishes, Joseph
glad it was helpful - please do me a favour and subscribe plus recommend it to other students or your lecturers. I have 2 new phd students starting this year so there should be a new video on these sort of topics every month or so. Thanks for taking the time to write - helpful to get feedback 😊
A great use and explanation of data. It would be interesting to just see the comparison of both rural and urban councils which recently amalgamated using the 15 years of data to see if there has been improvements. Especially since the state has tabled a bill looking at de amalgamation. These trends would help shape Councils with developing a business plan and community feedback for both the for and against members of the community. It will be very interesting paper on the ageing population growth. Will keep sharing and encouraging people to subscribe
Of course the BEST way to precisely measure this trend would be to use DEA or FDH modelling. In this video I just present simple YoY change statistics because this is what most people are comfortable with (and I didn't have a week to spend on this)
You are very welcome- I find it a powerful way to understand lg finances. Sure lg is more complex but the basics are the same - we have to get enough revenue to cover our expenses and shouldn’t expect others to pay our debts. Please remember to subscribe and try to get a mate to join to do that I can meet the 500 subscribers I need to continue. Thanks heaps for the message
Very interesting as shows the issues faced for sustainability. Manning River Times had a interesting story on MCC on services provided and the potential of moving away of certain services. I have always question Councillors on the duplication of services provided by Council and private sectors. It was a review Council started over 18 months ago and decision are starting to take effect.
Clarifications: 1. 'materials' = 'materials and contracts' - sorry, I should have made this more plain. 2. standard deviation = my definition is roughly correct, but it is a bit more complicated than this. Best thought of as a measure of spread.
Consultants borrow your watch to tell you the time. They give the Council the results they want. Orange City Council and the Lords Place disaster-designed to attract visitors to Orange at ratepayers expense.
I can’t comment on your particular case because I don’t know Orange well. However, I do know the quality of most consultant work is extremely poor, and wish state and local governments would stop paying a king’s ransom for guess and giggle work. Thanks for commenting and please remember to subscribe
It would be interesting to see the data on the long term effects from the increase of lifestyle , retirement and aged care development within LGAs especially LGAs which encourages this type of development.
So kind of you to provide this feedback. Please subscribe and tell others. Are there any other topics you would like me to cover in future videos? Best wishes, Joseph
you are very welcome- i hope it and my other videos prove useful. Please consider helping me by subscribing and sending these videos onto others who might benefit. Kind Regards, Joseph
Thank you so much for explaining this, professor! I have been trying to find out why my writing has no coherency, and you've explained it in jsut a few sentences (grouping). Not only that, but you've also empowered other aspects of my writing and encouraged me with your wise words. I look forward to seeing more.
i am glad it helped. Took me years to work out my current style. I am in the midsts of writing my sixth book just now and concentrating on spending the time planning and replanning until i get similar ideas grouped in a way that leads to coherent conclusions. Don’t forget to subscribe and I will try to put up some more videos on writing as soon as I can (there are a few already). Thanks for making contact. Best wishes, Joseph
Interesting video. I work at the Town of Cambridge, which was de-amalgamated from the City of Perth at the commencement of the new Local Government Act 1995 (WA). I thought I'd share an interesting case study along the lines of Henry's George's work. In 1917, upon long-serving (then) Perth City Council Town Clerk William E. Bold C.B.E.’s (father of town planning in WA) recommendation, the City purchased the 1300-acre (526 ha) Limekilns Estate from the Perth Road Board, which was adjacent to the 2,281 acres of Endowment Lands already owned by the City since 1902, which was a “gift to the people of Perth” (the Endowment Lands or said lands). Despite strong opposition from Works Minister W George, an old council enemy of Bold’s, and Thomas Walker, editor Sunday Times, then Premier Sir James Mitchell government passed the (then) City of Perth Endowment Lands Act 1920 (WA) which empowered the City to develop and sell the land in its trust. At Bold’s suggestion, architects Hope and Klem designed satellite towns on the new lands: Floreat Park, Wembley Park, and City Beach owing to Raymond Unwin’s ‘City Beautiful’ Movement. Early houses were functional and cheap. This has set up 110 years of excellent urban planning. An Endowment is defined as "a donation of money or property to a nonprofit organization, which uses the resulting investment income for a specific purpose." This is the only Act of this kind in Western Australia. The (now) Cambridge Endowment Lands Act 1920 (WA) (CEL Act) has gone through a series of amendments. However, it remains broadly in its 1920 form that the relevant lands that, pursuant to section 7 of that Act, the "rates for any financial year in respect of the said lands or any portion thereof shall be imposed on the unimproved value." This is apportioned under section 7A of the CEL Act which basically means that the differently rated properties in the Town are evenly apportioned. The different rating method to other portions of the Town of Cambridge, which is rated by Gross Rental Value (GRV), and as such raises equity issues. The money is paid into an endowment lands fund. At the time of the establishment of the fund (rating system) it was argued that there was needed a system for landowners to improve their land without penalty, as at the time, the area was completely undeveloped. The fund and rating method was intended to improve the area as quickly as possible, hence the requirement of the endowment and the requirement that the proceeds of the sale of land be spent in the area. Some now argue that the endowment is no longer needed as the area is now, practically speaking, fully developed. Interestingly, the effect of the CEL Act affects rates in the way that Henry George had anticipated as "taxes". Regulation 11(k) of the Retirement Villages Regulations 1992 (WA) provides that "the expenses incurred by the administering body relating to land tax, if the land used for the retirement village is eligible for an exemption under the Land Tax Assessement Act 2002 (WA) - and RVs operated by NFPs are obviously rates exempt. The average rate amount for each retirement village unit at one RV in the district was $56 in 2002. The most pronounced effect is on a shopping centre and commercial properties which pay significantly less rates than they otherwise would. This is interesting to consider, when it is possible to claim rates as a tax deduction.
Another thought provoking and informative session. It amazing how so many LGA within both our region are going into massive debt or massive rate increases. Your presentation are hitting the issues on the head and if the Councillors and Council Dept Heads just used your information as a balance check maybe Council would be in a better state.
thanks & glad you found it useful. I just wish I could get more councils to watch these videos, because we seem to be in a serious predicament that won’t be fixed by remaking the same mistakes over and over again. Best wishes, JD
if only more Councils and more importantly Councillors be frank and honest with the residents within the LGA on what it cost to maintain the services provided. Then listen to the community on what the real want not what the Council and Councillors believe the community wants. Please Keep the debate and information on Councils and communities which are doing world best practices as these are what all LGA should be striving for.
especially if they encourage high growth in one demographic. Inflated growth in over 55 demographic creates future debt as Pensinor Rebates kick in a Council have no ideas on how raise additional revenue to meet the gap differences of what State meets and Council meets.
Yes, exactly right as usual. I do hope that you are a Councillor - if not then i would urge you to run because LG need people that properly understand the issues. Best regards, jd
very good information and glad you keep showing the morale courage to show facts and yes have read the brochure but not seeing at my Council. Please keep providing this genuine educational material
very interesting video. especially the view on increasing v decreasing the number of councillors. Large LGA with large number of villages spread throughout do feel neglected especially when you try to find which Councillor do you send issues to.
Yes, villages can easily be disenfranchised, particularly in amalgamations. Back when Moonbi was part of Parry we had a chance of getting a Councillor up. Now that we are Tamworth we have no chance. Political representation is actually two of the 11 factors required to be considered by the Boundaries Commission according to the Act. However, in the past these matters have just been ignored 😢
Another important video. One of the biggest issue with growth is the age demographic especially in coastal regions. This has been encouraged by targeted development of the 50+ lifestyle living. This has compounded the revenue issues as in10+ years pension rebates will kicking with most regional council having no ability to raise funds to cover gap between state and council. My biggest concern for the next few years is the financial sustainability of councils as this is what drives everything. Simple if Council has no money = at best reduction in services at worst administration which really = the basics for a long period of time.
Spot on as always Rob. Sadly I don’t think most decision makers are taking financial sustainability seriously enough. If we ignore things too long we end up having to take drastic action 😢
Good Morning a very important issue that needs to be addressed. My ammulgamted Council Area is just over 10000 square km which is made up of a massive diverse community groups which will never bound into one community de ammulgamtion to the past won't due to finances as the ammulgamted Shire and Councils where not fit for future how the reshaping of boundaries wher possible should be considered as a LGA which has multiple State and Federal boundaries within it just adds to the confusion due to areas getting funding etc. Please keep up these excellent discussions.
Read I am from Ben Lomond Landcare group, local citizens involved in Guyra - Armidale forced amalgamation. Final outcome is that we are looking at a 200% rate rise, with "harmonisation" of rates between former rural vs city council, and proposed special rate variation. Lots of things being fixed in Armidale. ...... catching up on things neglected from three decades ago, and paying off the huge liabilities they created for themselves. We were completely defunded as a rural outlying community despite complete promises administrator/Mayor, CEO's. Add on top of drought fire impact, covid, ... The cost to "fill the gap" created, to maintain our decades long well recognised initiatives for our small rural community, with a very successful model, comes out of the personal time and money of local individuals. All very not right! What a scam this was in NSW. Totally. I participated, with others here, in all the FFT and amalgamation processes. Outcomes are *precisely* to our predicted concerns. Your research further validating some of those concerns. Most agree, but do not care out of a sense of profound powerlessness. They will never have any real say, so only choice is to suck it up and just accept. The dis-empowering of the people all this stuff is for is part of the human equation that enables this poor govt self interested decision making. No one has time any more to advocate, nor the will. The very few can not do it without broader support from the rest.
I am sorry to hear of your bad experience. Democracy is a numbers game and it therefore sadly follows that small rural areas will be disenfranchised when amalgamated. I tried to warn of this - and also that the proposed amalgamations would not save money - but the state government at the time preferred to rely on paid commercial consultant guesswork. It is sad that many people continue to suffer because of bad decisions based on guess and giggle consultant outputs. Please help spread the word by sending the link to my research videos to others that you know. And please don’t forget to subscribe - only with the help of people like you can we hope to inject some truth into these debates. Thanks heaps, Joseph
@@professorjosephdrew6598 We still have an active de-amalgamation group up here. Independent rigorous academic analysis is essential before any local organised group can succeed. So thank you for your work and that of those working with you. I think the Armidale - Guyra case is particularly significant. Not only was Guyra council "merged" contrary to clear strong opposition from the Guyra (and even Armidale) rate-payers, the NSW Stated Govt overrode that view on their view that it would be to the "financial betterment" for Guyra rate-payers. Yet upon doing so, the NSW Govt immediately placed Armidale City Council that Guyra was merged into, into State Govt administration as financially incompetent! I am really not clear how the logic of this can not be seen as profoundly contradictory administration. That is maladministration. Even more so, some few years later, after a further $8 million in additional NSW funding, in addition to the original $2 million to cover cost of merging councils staff etc, the NSW Govt found it necessary to again place the new council of Armidale back into administration a second time for the same financial management reasons. To my view, this raises a significant legal question. The NSW State Government, over-rode Guyra residents views, with what it decided was the right judgement for the people of former Guyra shire. They are responsible for that decision being right in so doing in these circumstances. There is now clear evidence of the error of that judgement and decision by its own actions. Surely the NSW Govt can and should accept responsibility for its 'best intentions but clearly incorrect' decision. A legal case for a reversal of the amalgamation decision, restoring former Guyra shire, with obligation for compensation to Guyra rate-payers. To which I would suggest, $10- 25 million reasonable given disruption etc. An NCAT administrative decision case perhaps. Likely then followed by Supreme Court when State Govt does not allow the obvious recognition of error and responsibility. I would like to add two more quick points. 1. There is to my view an historic fundamental flaw overlooked with the notion of "failed rural shires" not meeting "Fit for the Future" financial competency. Apart from the FFF assessment processes being stacked to begin with, there is an inherent historical assumption that the level of State funding recognition and support in various forms to NSW LGA's, seems to be predominantly assumed to be determined by the size of the LGA/Shire in population. (Only). The various funding streams are to assist the meeting of State legislative requirements upon councils, eg social services, maintaining local roads etc. For most rural LGA/shires, their major cost liability is managing a very large land area. Weeds, waste collection, travel costs, social and emergency services to dispersed communities. There is a lot more than just 'road network' that everyone thinks of. It would be a more appropriate guidance principle for State funding support to be based on 50% population and 50% land area, managed by an LGA. If history had made land area the key basis for State funding support to LGA's, then it would have been all the city LGA's, not the rural ones that were found "not fit for the future". (A reverse bias, as illustration of this point.) 2. As for this last round of NSW forced amalgamations, it is the understanding of many that it was the lobbying interest of the Property Development Council, (or similar name) that requested and drove the recent forced amalgamations in NSW. Their target was city council amalgamations, make bigger, reduce ease of independent funded councillors being elected. It appears there were senior public servants moved from iPart or Boundaries Commission, into Premier and Cabinet to oblige their requests. (Apparently).
Very interesting view. I also believe there needs to be a time limit from purchase to build or purchase to develop. My LGA has a number of large scale land holdings which are over 20 years in proposed or planning to develop. It makes it hard for LG to move forward with this dragged out vacant land.
Always appreciate your comments! Yes, vacant land and greedy developers are a burden for LGs and our communities. Rating them higher might give them a push to get moving on their developments and hence benefit everyone
Just basic budgeting say we need to pay more for goods and services. My belief is that a large number of LG are not selling the budget message, not showing the true cost of running the LG and how the intend to fill the gap through additional local taxes and not just relying on State or Federal grants or loans.
Yes most people are surprisingly reasonable if you give them good information - we all need to make greater efforts to get the facts out into the public domain. Appreciate your comments 😃
Yep, the Minister has approved the demerger of Cootamundra and Gundagai. A huge relief for the community who have suffered badly because of the guess and giggle efforts of commercial consultants. Proud to have helped in their struggle and confident that their deamalgamation will be a stunning success 😀
A very interesting view. As how does LG raise and or find its revenue streams. Annual rates and other revenue that LG generates never seem to cover services or programmes that the community want or that council want to provide. The discussion of the true cost of services and programs to the community needs to be had as well
As a second term councillor, I very much enjoy the learning and appreciate the statistically proven, compelling content and researched data gone into your media. It helps me identify issues that may help design communities rather than populations. Thank you, Professor Drew
Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Please let other Councillors know about them because I need to get subscriber numbers up to justify my time to my employer. I only want to help the sector out and am glad that you have found the videos helpful. Best wishes, Joseph
Thanks, I am glad it helped. Please flick a link to the video around to your mates so that we can better spread the message, and don’t forget to subscribe. Best wishes, Joseph
These presentations are great. Thanks for making them. Perfect length too, 10-12 min. Very very interesting listening to these. Quite serendipitous to some other stuff I've I've been listening to as audiobook trying to read the tea leaves about the future we are heading into. ("Surviving The Future" David Fleming, and "The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning" Peter Zeihan). Not wanting to be pessimistic, but I do fear we are coming to the end of the most prosperous run of decades in human history based on easy credit and relatively stable global order. Your blunt no mincing of words, breaking down some fairly tricky statistical & economic analysis down into laymens terms, while presenting the evidence and the arguments is the kind of honest, plain speaking communication needed.
Glad you enjoyed my dry humour! Please spread the word about this YTube site so that more people in the community can find out what really happened. Thanks heaps, jd
@@professorjosephdrew6598 Absolutely. I think most people appreciate plain speaking, humour and analogy especially when someone obviously academicly cluey is trying to communicate something like statistical & economic analysis. (like dis-economy of scale) It connects you as a relatable person. Really refreshing insights and I do appreciate and note you are refraining from attacking and blaming, cliche, ad hominem etc. You are careful to say "these people stuffed up or this system failed" because the people didn't have the expertise or the data not nescessarilly because they are "bad or corrupt people". I think the closest you get is to say that a studies method might be "questionable". It's just refreshing to see someone calmly laying out some facts and argument without dehumanising or blaming. People notice that.
Thank-you I really appreciate the positive feedback. It has been a hard slog for many years to try to get people to pay attention. My only agenda is to relieve the suffering for the communities that have been affected and try to prevent mistakes from being made again 😃
