Australia’s regional towns have changed dramatically since their establishment as vital outposts for national resource development. Professor John Martin explores the role of local government in safeguarding their future.

By Prof. John Martin, Director, Centre for Sustainable Communities, La Trobe University

The sustainability of Australia's country towns has come to the fore in Australian public policy in recent years. Originally established as outposts in the Australian frontier, these places opened up the inland to commodity and subsequently resource development – the backbone of our national wealth. 

However, modern transportation and telecommunications has meant travellers often pass these towns by. The country town with numerous pubs and a thriving local manufacturing base is a thing of the past. The pub today barely gets by, and farmers obtain the things they need online and from afar.

Yet these small towns provide a valuable role for the wider rural community. For example, where there is sufficient numbers at the local school, sport provides a basis for families to come together, look out for each other and plan for the future. 

How local government fits into this arrangement is a challenge for councils across rural and remote Australia. The ongoing benefit of infrastructure investment is usually much harder to see. Yet, as the State of the Regions Report 2013 reveals, public infrastructure investment will enable the nation to grow and prosper over the long term. This is where professional engineers and planners can have significant, game-changing impacts on the sustainability of country towns.

The challenge facing Australian society, and all levels of government, is how to support our country towns, given their role in nation building has fundamentally changed. Well-planned public infrastructure investment involving the community can make a difference here.

This is not just investment in roads, it also includes investment in health and educational facilities, such that the community is caring for its own and nurturing the development of the next generation. 

Other public infrastructure related to amenity, arts and culture is also essential to the liveability and viability of local communities, regardless of whether they are metropolitan or regional. 

Public works professionals play a central role in balancing their council’s infrastructure investment strategy, such that all of these assets are recognised as playing a key role in the sustainability of local communities. Leveraging local involvement in the planning, development, construction and management of public assets will enhance the fiscal capacity of local communities to deliver those assets.

I am constantly impressed when visiting Australia’s country towns to see communities working together and with their local council to fund the provision of physical assets and ensure they are maintained. 

Knowing how much a community contributes, and the strength of the sense of place in such communities, is a research project I would love to do. My assumption is that the more people work together to make things happen, the more connected they will be to place. 

Community involvement in bringing a local asset to life ensures the asset fits best with community needs and is properly used and cared for. 

It is difficult to quantify the value of such involvement. The rewards are significant: the community now has an asset and cares for it, while the council can provide these facilities to a higher standard and lower cost.

This is the potential of working with communities in addressing the challenges of providing infrastructure to makes their place more liveable and sustainable.

John Martin is also Visiting Professor at the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government, and presented a paper on engineering sustainable communities at the 2013 Public Works Conference.

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