Agenda 21 encourages local governments to develop strategies implementing its environmental, social and economic aims. This research addressed which Western Australian local governments are implementing the environmental aims of Agenda 21, the types of plans being developed to implement these aims and why these approaches are favoured. By identifying the constraints to implementation and assessing the most appropriate solutions, strategies to improve implementation were devised. The environmental aims of Agenda 21 were defined as (a) reducing unsustainable consumption, (b) promoting sustainable human settlements, (c) protecting the atmosphere, (d) sustaining biological diversity and (e) minimising the generation of wastes; aims which are to be achieved by (f) promoting an integrated approach to land and resource use, (g) expanding public participation in decision making processes, and (h) applying the precautionary principle.

A web-based survey of Western Australia’s 142 local governments was conducted, which achieved a response rate of 42%. Survey respondents who indicated that their local government was not addressing all of the environmental aims of Agenda 21 (as outlined above) were asked to identify the critical constraints from the following list:

• Constraints limiting the capacity of local governments to implement Agenda 21

– inadequate legislative authority,

– inadequate resources,

– inadequate awareness of the aims of Agenda 21 and

– inadequate expertise in environmental management.

• Constraints limiting the will of local governments to implement Agenda 21:

– addressing Agenda 21 is not a council priority,

– addressing Agenda 21 is not a community priority and

– a belief that some of the aims are not applicable to local government.

• Constraints relating to the external support for local government implementation of Agenda 21 from:

– the Commonwealth government,

– the State government,

– government agencies and

– the Western Australian Municipal Association (WAMA).

A local government classification system adapted from the Australian Council of Local Government’s system was used to analyse the survey data. The capital city was incorporated into the metropolitan developed (met. dev.) category and the agricultural category was split into a medium-large (m-l ag.) and a small agricultural (small ag.) category by population size. Population growth was eliminated as a criterion and thus the eight local governments in the significant growth category were incorporated into the medium-large agricultural category.

Follow-up interviews were conducted with 20 survey respondents from different local governments, selected to represent all categories. Interviewees were asked why the constraints identified in the survey impeded their implementation of Agenda 21, to assess the current support available to local governments and to suggest solutions.

Overcoming the constraints that limit the capacity to implement Agenda 21

Inadequate legislative authority was identified as a constraint by 16% of respondents. Inadequate resources, a lack of awareness of the aims of Agenda 21 and inadequate expertise in environmental management were identified as constraints by 97%, 52% and 53% of respondents respectively (see Figure 1)

Figure 1 Percentage of respondents identifying the constraints limiting the capacity of local governments to implement Agenda 21

Inadequate legislative authority

As West Australian local governments do not execute all the functions performed by local governments in some other jurisdictions, their efforts to implement Agenda 21 are more dependent on external support (discussed further later). Several interviewees indicated that greater powers to control vegetation clearing by farmers and to regulate the energy efficiency of new buildings would be beneficial.

Inadequate resources

Additional funding for the implementation of Agenda 21 could come from increased rates, the introduction of environmental levies, increased Financial Assistance Grants from the Commonwealth, increased funding under grant schemes such as the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) and/or the establishment of a new grant scheme.

Local governments generally do not believe local residents should fund the further implementation of Agenda 21. Several interviewees expressed concern that new taxes and levies would make sustainable development look like a burden and thus would not be politically viable. One interviewee noted a 5% increase in his local government’s rates would raise only $75 000 per annum. Two interviewees noted that while the Local Government Act (WA) 1965 allows local governments to impose service charges, a broader definition of ‘service’ is needed before this provision can be used to introduce an environmental levy. Furthermore, environmental levies are generally only appropriate for short term projects with direct and visible on-ground benefits. This suggests there is a need for greater funding under grant schemes.

Most interviewees believed that increased Financial Assistance Grants from the Commonwealth would be spent on other areas of higher council priority. Nine interviewees stated that increasing funding under the NHT was appropriate, despite concerns that the NHT is unlikely to fund the development of a Local Agenda 21 (LA21) which guides a local government’s social, economic and environmental policies and that increasing the NHT funding available for planning would reduce the funding available for on-ground environmental works. Some interviewees preferred the establishment of a grant scheme to specifically fund sustainability initiatives, although others expressed concern that it would be inefficient to establish a new scheme.

Inadequate awareness of the aims of Agenda 21 and (iv) inadequate expertise in environmental management

Most councils implementing Agenda 21 employ environmental officers. Short of funding the employment of new staff, initiatives to improve the awareness and expertise of existing council staff include:

• The development of manuals outlining actions that local governments can take to reduce the environmental impact of their operations, to complement existing manuals such as ‘Our Community Our Future’. While all but one interviewee was aware of ‘Our Community Our Future’, none had used it, often owing to a belief that it is too broad and it is only applicable to councils implementing Agenda 21 through an LA21.

• The expansion of WAMA’s regional workshop series to cover more regions and environmental issues and the promotion of LA21 at events such as ‘Local Government Week’ conferences.

• The establishment of regionally based local government advisory groups. Currently, rural councils are not becoming members of WAMA’s Sustainable Development Advisory Group because of the time and cost of attending meetings and perceptions that their council is not far enough advanced in the process, that it is dominated by urban local governments and that it is not relevant for local governments not developing LA21s.

• The development of a milestone framework for sustainability planning, as will be established as part of the Commonwealth government’s partnership program. All 20 interviewees stated that this would help but questioned whether LA21 could fit into such a framework and whether it could be flexible enough.

Overcoming the constraints that limit the will to implement Agenda 21

Agenda 21 was not seen as a council priority by 55% of survey respondents and was not seen as a community priority by 36% of respondents. A belief that some of the aims of Agenda 21 are not applicable to local government was identified as a constraint by 26% of respondents (see Figure 2).

Figure 2 Percentage of local governments identifying the constraints limiting the will of local governments to implement Agenda 21

Making Agenda 21 a council and community priority

The effectiveness of initiatives to increase the capacity of local governments (as described above) will be increased if matched with initiatives emphasising the benefits of addressing Agenda 21, reducing the perception of sustainability planning as an additional level of planning and reducing the perception of Agenda 21 as a program that has been unwillingly imposed on local government. As local governments respond to community pressure, community education campaigns may also improve implementation.

Belief that that the aims of Agenda 21 are not applicable

Expanding local government education campaigns will minimise this constraint.

Overcoming the constraints relating to the external support for local government implementation of Agenda 21

Insufficient support from the Commonwealth government and the State government were identified as constraints by 57% and 64% of survey respondents respectively. Rural councils clearly saw State government as more important than Commonwealth government support. Insufficient support from WAMA was identified by 16% of respondents (see Figures 3).

Figure 3 Percentage of local governments identifying the constraints relating to external support

Commonwealth government support

While the Commonwealth government has proposed a partnership program for LA21 (discussed further later) that should provide more guidance on how local governments implement Agenda 21, it has not offered more resources.

State government support

State government support increased with the election of the current Labor government which, through its Sustainability Unit within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, has initiated the development of a State sustainability strategy and a partnership program for local sustainability.

Government agency support

Enshrining the principles of sustainable development in the enabling Acts of all agencies and ensuring extensive agency involvement in the proposed partnership programs would be beneficial. Government agencies could play a more significant role in running regional environmental workshops and advisory groups.

The Western Australian Municipal Association’s support

Most interviewees were satisfied with the level of support offered by WAMA, though many noted that there was too much work in this area for just one Environmental Resource Officer (ERO). One interviewee suggested that WAMA employ a Sustainability Officer to support the development of LA21s or a regional ERO for local governments in regional areas.

An important question is whether a coercive or a cooperative partnership approach should be used. A coercive approach could involve amendments to legislation to make environmental management an explicit local government function, to set out the environmental or sustainability issues that local governments are required to consider in their decision making processes and to require local governments to develop environmental or sustainability plans. The majority of interviewees were in favour of such amendments, although most noted that they would have limited benefit without initiatives to improve the will and capacity of local governments to implement Agenda 21.

Cooperative partnership programs for local sustainability have been proposed by both the Commonwealth and WA State governments. Four interviewees preferred a Commonwealth program, for reasons including the chance that local governments will be offered financial incentives to join, because it was the Commonwealth government that imposed Agenda 21 on Australia not the States and it would create a uniform approach across Australia. Seven interviewees preferred a State program, primarily because the program would be more localised and the State government already has a working relationship with local governments that could be built upon through a partnership program.

While 92% of survey respondents had heard of the term ‘Agenda 21’ prior to completing the survey, all 20 interviewees preferred the terminology of ‘sustainable development’, with many commenting that ‘Agenda 21’ lacked relevance to local government. This suggests that future initiatives should emphasise the terminology of ‘sustainable development’ rather than ‘Agenda 21’.

Conclusion

The capacity of Western Australian local governments to implement Agenda 21 is restricted by a lack of legislative authority, insufficient resources, inadequate awareness of the aims of Agenda 21 and inadequate expertise in environmental management. Overcoming these constraints requires greater local government commitment to the implementation of Agenda 21 and greater support in terms of finance and direction from the Commonwealth government, government agencies, WAMA and the State government. The proposed State and Commonwealth government partnership programs are likely to provide local governments with more guidance in this area. However, a long-term funding source for local government implementation of Agenda 21 is required.

About the author

Stephanie Price is a student at the University of Western Australia doing a combined degree of Law and Science. Last year she completed Honours in Geography. This research formed part of her Honours thesis.