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The Local Government Fund

The funding allocation under the Local Government Fund is fully committed.

The Local Government Fund provided $45 million between 1999 and 2005 to support regional and rural local government authorities in using telecommunications to deliver improved services and benefits to their communities. This Fund enabled local governments to use advanced telecommunications technologies and networks to provide state-of-the-art services to their communities.

Each state received funding of $6 million, while a further $6 million was allocated for the territories and the remaining $3 million maintained in a national pool. The Networking the Nation General Guidelines set out the framework under which the Local Government Fund operated.

Project priorities

The Local Government Fund supported projects that assisted local government authorities in regional Australia to use advanced telecommunications to enhance service delivery to the communities they serve, including:

  • the provision of online access to their information and services, such as Internet-based online services;
  • the development of best practice design and delivery models that could be broadly replicated and could position Australia as a world leader in this area;
  • the facilitation of collaboration between authorities to develop and implement best practice models;
  • service delivery utilising video conferencing facilities; and
  • improved and more affordable access to telephone based local government information and services.

The provision of public access points to advanced communications services (such as the Internet) was also considered, especially where it supported the above priorities.

Aggregated, whole-of-region (or whole-of-state) approaches were given priority subject to support from individual local government authorities and associations. Smaller scale projects that demonstrated innovation and best practice, and had the potential to act as models for broader implementation, were also considered.

Priority was given to projects that contributed to integrated service delivery across the tiers of government, such as projects that:

  • supported integration of service delivery across agencies and/or jurisdictions;
  • allowed people undergoing a particular life or business event to go to one online point to conduct the transactions with government that are required as a result of that event; or
  • built infrastructure that was based on common standards, such as the Australian Government Locator Service standard for metadata and 'Gatekeeper' to support authentication and identification in online transactions.

Where appropriate, it was a condition of grants to local government agencies that any electronic publications or services funded under the program were supported by metadata and adopted relevant Australian Government electronic publishing and/or electronic authentication standards, as agreed with the states.

Project location

Projects were located within any regional, rural or remote area addressed by the Networking the Nation program (i.e. locations outside the capital city of each state and territory).

Eligible applicants

Local government bodies, as defined under the Local Government (Financial Assistance) Act 1995, local government associations and equivalent local government bodies of external territories were eligible for funding under the Local Government Fund

Local Government Fund Review

The aim of the Local Government Fund Review was to undertake a strategic overview of the Local Government Fund, with a focus on its effectiveness.

  • Document ID: 6660 |
  • Last modified: 6 February 2008, 1:40pm