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Unit Summary

Unit type

UG Coursework Unit

Credit points

12

AQF level

7

Level of learning

Intermediate

Unit aim

Focuses on Australian local government, including its international context, history and current position. Explores the challenges currently facing local government with cutbacks in government expenditure, local government reform, intergovernmental relationships and community expectations. Provides an opportunity for students to understand the complexity of local government in Australia and to explore the ways in which local governments and local communities can address the challenges confronting them.

Unit content

  • The history, structure, responsibilities and global context of local government
  • Local government's role in our liberal-democratic system of representative government
  • Contemporary local government issues and challenges

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

GA1: , GA2: , GA3: , GA4: , GA5: , GA6: , GA7:
On completion of this unit, students should be able to: GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 demonstrate an understanding of the history, scope and nature of local government, and of how intergovernmental relationships influence local government activity
2 evaluate the effectiveness of local government in carrying out its roles and responsibilities
3 evaluate local government as a sphere of representative government and democracy in Australia
4 utilise online research and retrieval systems.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. demonstrate an understanding of the history, scope and nature of local government, and of how intergovernmental relationships influence local government activity
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  2. evaluate the effectiveness of local government in carrying out its roles and responsibilities
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  3. evaluate local government as a sphere of representative government and democracy in Australia
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  4. utilise online research and retrieval systems.
    • GA5: