Governing the Cities: The Australian Experience in Perspective

This book describes and evaluates the government of Australian metropolitan areas. It is not commonly understood that Australia has developed a distinctive style of urban government which differs markedly from that found in other Western democracies. The pre-eminence of 'centralised' State governments and of authorities accountable primarily to the States, and the historical weakness of local government, underpin this distinctive style. The book assesses its effect - on the social fabric of the cities, on the representation of interests, on the distribution of services, on the responsiveness of public policy and on the capacity of the public sector.