Managing the Relationship between Local Government and State Government – the Victorian Experience

Increasingly, organisations are required to work together, as well as through others to achieve their objectives. Australia has three tiers of government and has had to operate for many years in an environment where responsibility for service delivery is split between policy makers and service deliverers, and between local, state or national government. The relationship between governments has at times been difficult to manage and does not always provide the best possible outcome. This paper reviews how Land Victoria as a Division of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in a state government worked in partnership with Local Government to achieve significant land information management reform. The changes achieved include the development of significant electronic property information holdings at the local level and the wide acceptance of the Victorian state digital map base that builds in information exchange and maintenance. Examples will be given as to how co-operation and sharing of data can develop. The paper reviews how the relationship was developed along cooperative lines between two tiers of government and will review network theory and relationship marketing as the principles that guided the approach taken. This approach may prove to provide an example of how other governments or organisations can work in a similar situation. Contact M/s Leonie Newnham, MBA, DipEd, BA Land Victoria, Department of Natural Resources & Environment Level 11, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne, Australia Tel: +61 (0)3 9637 8259, Fax: +61 (0)3 9637 8148 Mobile: +61 (0)417 551633 Email: [email protected] Prof. John R Parker, Chair FIG Commission 1 Land Victoria, Department of Natural Resources & Environment Level 2, 456 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Australia Tel: +61 (0)3 9603 5385, Fax: +61 (0)3 9603 5170 Mobile: +61 (0)412 082725 Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Mr Adrian Spall, MBA, BA(Hons) Land Victoria, Department of Natural Resources & Environment Level 11, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne, Australia Tel: +61 (0)3 9637 8240, Fax: +61 (0)3 9637 8148 Mobile: +61 (0)418 257 086 Email: [email protected] Acknowledgement: Mr Steve Jacoby as Director of the Land Information Group within Land Victoria was responsible for the Property Information Project (PIP) project and managed all the project relationship management aspects. His paper: ‘Developing a Common Geospatial Infrastructure between State and Local Governments a case study from Victoria, Australia’ was an important source of information about the PIP project. This paper reviews all aspects of the program including the technical criteria for those who wish to obtain more details of this innovative project.