オーストラリアの高齢者コミュニティケアにおける地方自治体の役割

The role of local government in community care for elderly people in Australia

Historical perspective 1800 ~ 1980

The history of local government in Australia shows a unique feature among developed federal countries. Also local governments in each state have had a great diversity in its role in community care for elderly people in Australia. The first trend of the emerge of local government in Australia started 1840s. In 1842 N.S.W Constitution Act admitted local representative governments to make orders and by-laws, to build and maintain roads, bridges and public buildings, to establish schools. However, these governments such as the municipalities of Sydney had a short life because of the vastness of the areas administered, small population, inexperience of councillors, an absence of common purpose. It was only in Victoria that the town corporations succeeded in their original form. On other hand, the number of road boards and trusts increased through the 19 century (Power:8).

Victoria had moved into responsible government for the first time. The Municipal Institution Act 1854 to proclaim the establishment of a local authority on receipt of a petition from at least 150 householders in areas not exceeding 9 square miles and containing a population of at least 300 (Power:11). In NSW responsible government came in 1858. However, only 1 percent of the State had been covered by municipal institution until 1906 even under the Municipalities Act 1858. People in NSW showed much less enthusiasm for local democracy than those of the other colonies. Early 1900 four of six States had established mandatory comprehensive systems. NSW had incorporated seven-eighths of its territory (Power:14). Most urban cities experienced greater city movements. The Greater Sydney, the Greater Melbourne movement has never succeeded though it did in Newcastle in 1937. Instead, many ad hoc bodies were established by State legislatures to run particular services. In Queensland, however, in 1924 fifty municipal councils and ad hoc bodies established Brisbane City Council which is the largest local city council in Australia (Power:16).

In community services including aged care, local governments had had one-off responsibilities in ad hoc decisions of central and state government until 1920. In Victoria local governmentﾕs responsibility for welfare services was considered by state government quite earlier than N.S.W. In Sydney, during the post second world war years the role of local government had become extensive as a response to the growing number of disadvantaged people. In 1969 local governments became eligible to receive subsidies under the State Grants (Home Care )Act to employ welfare officers for the aged and to construct Senior Citizens Centers. On the other hand, the fund of road construction and maintenance from Commonwealth. Total 2.2 million commonwealth specific purpose grants to local government by 1972 the Whitlam Labor government reached to 109 million in 1975. Moreover, the Australian Assistance Plan had positive effects to realize the potential of local government in the planning, co-ordination, delivery of community services at the local level until 1977. In 1986/1987 Commonwealth assistance reached almost 586 million, 10% of all Local government receipts. (Office of Local Government:23-61).

Some issues in community care for elderly people

legislative power

The local government system is established under State legislation and is not a sovereign sphere of Government. Therefore, in law, local government can only carry out those functions for which it is specifically authorized by legislation. Without general competence power local governments can only request the Department and the Minister to amend or provide 'Ordinance'. In Germany, local governments fulfill a general constitutional guarantee though they come under the land government. In the USA and Canada local governments have much stronger autonomy, even conflictual relation with State government. Commonwealth government has not developed partnership though they are beginning to recognize the value of stable local bodies with effective administrative capacity for the development and implementation of Commonwealth programs (Bowman and Halligan:115). On the other hand, States have encouraged fragmentation in urban government by State legislatures which make ad hoc bodies run particular services. However, the broad interpretations by local governments have, in most states, allowed the development of a wide range of community services within Local Government. (Office of Local Government:11~19).

Local government is an elected system of Government, representative of its community. Therefore, the system enables ﾔthe close involvement of community members in the activities and decisions of the communityﾕ. Its elected character and broad responsibilities for a defined geographic area suggest that Local government is, at least potentially, better placed than either Commonwealth or State Governments to understand the unique features of its area and to respond or meet local needs and conditions. (Office of Local Government:11~19). Local government provides the only possible arena where direct democracy through public meetings, referenda, neighbourhood participation systems which would influence the community care in their community (Jones: 40). The trend has been towards increasing municipal involvement in welfare service provision though in Victoria the local government have already become the major providers of social services for elderly people (Bowman and Halligan: 115).

Financial ability

In terms of financial abilitity, Australian local government is the weakest among the major advanced federations, Australia, Austria, Canada, W.Germany, Switzerland, USA.

Table 1 represents the centralization of Australia clearly. Although the data shows a lower proportion of taxes in local government in Italy and Netherlands, local governments in these countries gain general grants from central government, and more powerful than those in Australia (Jones: 9).

Table 1: Tax revenues by level of government 1988.

Despite differences in the details of local functions between States within Australia, Australian Local Government is largely restricted to some or all of the basic local or regional infrastructure services (local and rural roads, sanitation, water, sewerage, swimming pools, libraries,etc) though its role in human services and welfare has been growing. Table 2 shows the tendency of expenditure in Sydney metropolitan area.

Table 2: Municipalities and shires, NSW: ordinary services, expenditure from revenue, classified by broad purpose, 1992 ($000)

Source: ABS local government finance data

Also, when we look at the sources of grants in local government, Commonwealth government tends to use specific purpose grants rather than general purpose grants. For example, in Sydney metropolitan area, 55.5% of total grants is specific purpose grant. (government grant is 12.8% of total revenue)

A report from office of local government concludes that general purpose assistance would be useful for than specific purpose assistance because specific grants may enhance difficulties for local government and other organizations in planning and providing the range of integrated and inter-related community services required within a locality. In addition, the mixture of funding procedures causes administrative overlap and unnecessary complexity for participating local governments (office of local government: 76,77)

Administration and management

It is apparent that local government has a traditional relationship with its community to provide a range of support functions for community and volunteer groups. It is also appropriate for local government to respond to personal human service needs such as community care for elderly people. Other advantages of local government in human services developments would include geographic location, administrative ability, permanent structure and status, availability of resources. .

On the other hand, Local government would have its broad responsibilities and its local electoral accountability which distinguishes it from NGO sector. Local government has ability as a facilitator which bring community interests together to develop preferred local arrangements. The local government should retain a responsibility for overall planning and co-ordination in relation with community interests, while direct service delivery arrangements may involve either local government or community organizations (Office of Local Government:86).

The reluctance of central government of using local government would not come from a philosophical preference for the non-government sector but a desire to maintain central control of planning, service approaches and standards.(Office of Local Government:11~19).

References

Australian Local government association (1989), the Australian Local Government Handbook, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Bowman, Margaret ,Jone Halligan (1988), 'Local government in the federal system ', Canberra Bulletin of Public Administration, no.55, June 1988 : 112-113

Groenewegen, P.D (1976), The taxable capacity of local government in New South Wales, Centre for Research on Federal Financial Relations, Canberra.

Jones, Michael (1993), Transforming Australian Local Government, Allen&Unwin,Sydney.

Maiden, H.E. (1966), The history of local government in New South Wales, Angus and Robertson, Sydney.

Office of Local Government: Department of Local government and administrative services (1986), Community Development, Human Services and Local Government, Report of a Task Force of the Joint Officers' Committee, Local Government Ministers' Conference 1986.

POWER-J, R-WETTENHALL; J-HALLIGAN ,'Overview of local government in Australia', Local Government Systems of Australia: 1-121

SELF-Peter (1988), 'Local government finance in a federal system ', Canberra Bulletin of Public Administration, no.55, June 1988 : 105-111