Legislative Reviews › Local Government Act Review › Review of the initial rollout of the local government legislation (2001-2004)
This page is a historic record. It contains links to old and/or superseded documents for reference purposes only.
(Link below to a pdf copy of the report)
Introduction
In 2001 and 2002, the Department was responsible for implementing three new pieces of local government legislation on behalf of the government. These were:
The review outlines a range of processes used at the time of the initial rollout and looks at the lessons that might be learned. As such it is of value both to participants in the initial process, and as a guide for those looking to undertake similar processes with local government.
Summary of findings
Overall, the findings indicate that the rollout process was an effective partnership between central and local government, with participants aware of their respective roles. This is important, because as this was a joint government/sector rollout of a fundamental piece of legislation. The review also points out the importance of starting planning early (before the enactment of the legislation) and of involving the sector in joint activities including production of information and promotion of any changes.
As would be expected from such a fundamental change across such a diverse sector as local government, the rollout of the legislation was not without its difficulties. Areas identified where things could have been better implemented and undertaken during this process include:
The Department has learnt from the experience of the rollout. It is hoped that by publishing this document, other organisations can benefit from our experience and in this way look to strengthen communications and mutual understanding between central and local government into the future.
Download this document:
*This document is in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. You need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download a free version from the Adobe site.
