Divided we Fall: An Insider’s Perspective on Local Government Amalgamations

About the Book

Recent Australian local government structural reform has manifested as council amalgamations and predominantly as imposed merger processes. This book examines council amalgamations across Australia over the past two decades and uncovers the case of council amalgamation in the NSW Clarence Valley Council (CVC) since 2004. The case of forced amalgamation of four general-purpose and two county councils could have been a recipe for chaos; instead this book describes the gains and the challenges. Writing from deep seated knowledge of local government this book details the net positive economic outcomes and financial benefits against measurable indicators and describes the impacts on local democracy. Based on detailed research, this long term local government ‘insider’ perspective will be of value to all those interested in driving change through local government reform.

About the Author

Ian Tiley has almost five decades continuous experience in New South Wales local government initially in management and administration and, since 1991, as an elected councillor and Mayor serving on five councils. He was the inaugural first Mayor of Clarence Valley Council and is currently an Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of New England Armidale NSW. He has served on a number of regional development governance entities and continues to campaign for the future of regional Australia.