REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN QUEENSLAND

In 1974–75 the Queensland Government will spend approximately $1 million on the co-ordination of activities directed towards development of the State. Each year the Co-ordinator-General is required by the government to furnish to the Minister—in this case the Premier—a plan for a co-ordinated programme of works, which programme, if approved by 'the Minister, is submitted for approval to the Governor in Council. This programme includes not only those works carried out by government departments but also the loan works proposals of local authorities and semi-government bodies such as Harbour Boards, River Improvement Trusts and Abattoir Boards which borrow on the debenture loan market or are granted Treasury loans.     

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT VIEWED FROM SYDNEY

This conference on "Public Administration in Co-operative Federalism", fittingly convened by the Royal Institute of Public Administration, is a most timely one. It is tangible evidence that co-operative federalism is not only possible but, in many areas, positively flourishes, and it provides an opportunity for those of us with state or federal responsibilities in public administration to state our problems fairly and frankly and seek ways of extending co-operation to secure future prosperity for Australia.     

A PARTNERSHIP FOR REGIONAL COLLABORATION

Urban policy is out of alignment with domestic problems arising from the global economy, sprawling metropolitan regions, and distressed neighborhoods. A new urban policy, grandly conceived and dramatically announced and implemented, is needed. Our article maps out a new urban policy framework, with new roles and responsibilities for agencies and institutions, using innovative tools and improved management, with alternative adaptation strategies. Such a policy must be agile and diverse—characteristics not common in federal policy generally.     

LABOR'S UNKNOWN EXPERIMENT: THE MORETON REGIONAL COORDINATION EXERCISE*

Abstract: The Department of Urban and Regional Development's (DURD's) Moreton Regional Coordination Exercise was a bold experiment. It aimed to coordinate, at a regional level, the activities of all levels of government, an objective close to DURD's heart. The proposal emerged from DURD's struggles with other commonwealth departments, conflicts with the Queensland government over administrative arrangements for the Area Improvement Program and the Australian Assistance Plan, and representations from the Lord Mayor of Brisbane concerning regional arrangements. In the course of setting the exercise up, DURD faced many difficulties, including departmental opposition on the interdepartmental committees and the scepticism of officials at the regional level. In implementing the idea of a regional budget there were serious shortcomings in available information and major difficulties in overcoming the inertia of existing departmental budgetary routines and priorities. The Regional Team of officials produced a report that was redolent of general support for "better coordination", but the specific proposals and their effectiveness were very limited. DURD's coordinating ambitions were thwarted, despite apparent Cabinet support and oversight by a special Cabinet committee. In fact, Cabinet as an institution was too weak and its membership too fragmented to provide the necessary power to overcome bureaucratic conservatism.