Factors inhibiting local government engagement in environmental sustainability

The literature on local government management of the environment in Australia has been limited in that it has typically focused on the urban sphere. In contrast, this paper places rurality at the centre of its inquiry. It uses data from 15 case studies of rural local governments in Australia to iden...

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Main Authors: Wild River, S., Pini, B., McKenzie, Fiona Haslam
Format: Journal Article
Published: Australian Geographer 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/36587
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author Wild River, S.
Pini, B.
McKenzie, Fiona Haslam
author_facet Wild River, S.
Pini, B.
McKenzie, Fiona Haslam
author_sort Wild River, S.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The literature on local government management of the environment in Australia has been limited in that it has typically focused on the urban sphere. In contrast, this paper places rurality at the centre of its inquiry. It uses data from 15 case studies of rural local governments in Australia to identify the main factors that inhibit natural resource management by rural councils. These barriers mobilise around four key themes: capacity, commitment, co-ordination and community. While many of the issues raised in this study of non-urban shires have been described in previous research, the paper argues that the geographic location of the areas under investigation aggravates barriers to engaging sustainability initiatives. It is contended that rural local governments need to be resourced accordingly to ensure that natural resource management at the local government level in Australia is not compromised.
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publishDate 2007
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-365872019-02-19T04:27:06Z Factors inhibiting local government engagement in environmental sustainability Wild River, S. Pini, B. McKenzie, Fiona Haslam Environment local government Australia rural The literature on local government management of the environment in Australia has been limited in that it has typically focused on the urban sphere. In contrast, this paper places rurality at the centre of its inquiry. It uses data from 15 case studies of rural local governments in Australia to identify the main factors that inhibit natural resource management by rural councils. These barriers mobilise around four key themes: capacity, commitment, co-ordination and community. While many of the issues raised in this study of non-urban shires have been described in previous research, the paper argues that the geographic location of the areas under investigation aggravates barriers to engaging sustainability initiatives. It is contended that rural local governments need to be resourced accordingly to ensure that natural resource management at the local government level in Australia is not compromised. 2007 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/36587 10.1080/00049180701399985 Australian Geographer fulltext
spellingShingle Environment
local government
Australia
rural
Wild River, S.
Pini, B.
McKenzie, Fiona Haslam
Factors inhibiting local government engagement in environmental sustainability
title Factors inhibiting local government engagement in environmental sustainability
title_full Factors inhibiting local government engagement in environmental sustainability
title_fullStr Factors inhibiting local government engagement in environmental sustainability
title_full_unstemmed Factors inhibiting local government engagement in environmental sustainability
title_short Factors inhibiting local government engagement in environmental sustainability
title_sort factors inhibiting local government engagement in environmental sustainability
topic Environment
local government
Australia
rural
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/36587