Integrating sustainability and principles of Local Agenda 21: A study of four local governments in NSW and QLD

Bhishna Bajracharya
Shahed Khan

Abstract

Local Agenda 21 (LA21) under the 1992 Earth Summit charter highlighted the important role of local governments in promoting sustainable development by working with local communities. By ratifying the charter, Australia has embraced the principles of Local Agenda 21 (LA21) and is therefore required to include it into local strategies and planning.

The basic elements of LA21 include the creation of a community vision that brings together the aspirations of all stakeholders: the establishment of a partnership between local authorities, communities, and businesses; the engagement in a community-based, inclusive process of issue analysis: the preparation of action plans based on formalised objectives; and processes for implementation, monitoring, evaluation and feedback.

How well does the Agenda 21 as a policy sit within the context of the local governments in Australia? How do different planning systems in Queensland and New South Wales have an influence in adoption by local councils? What are some of the challenges facing the councils in implementing the Local Agenda 21? These are some of the questions that the paper seeks to address.

The paper reports on an ongoing study of four local governments, two in Sydney and two in Queensland, to determine the extent of adoption of Agenda 21. The major aim of this paper is to review and assess the sustainability initiatives undertaken by the four under the different planning systems in two states. As part of the study, the paper reviews council strategic planning documents and bring out examples of community-led sustainability projects in the two councils. It discusses how sustainability has been integrated into the council strategic planning documents and identifies the major barriers and opportunities for sustainable development in the two councils. The paper examines how adoption of the Agenda is influenced by a number of factors such as the nature of the planning systems in the two states, a commitment on the part of the staff to embrace changes, and the level of community participation. There is a strong need for systematic assessment of local council's performance against Local Agenda 21 to understand how ecologically sustainable development goals are being achieved.

© Copyright Australian Planner, 2004.