Moving towards sustainable development : an assessment of the adoption of the principles of Local Agenda 21 by local councils

Having endorsed the policy of 'Ecologically Sustainable Development' followed by the ratification of the Earth Summit (1992) charter, Australia has embraced the principles of Local Agenda 21. Our local councils are, consequently, required to include Agenda 21 aims into local strategies and planning (cf. Greene, 1994). Local Agenda 21 "is a local government- led, community-wide, and participatory effort to establish a comprehensive action strategy for environmental protection, economic prosperity and community well-being in the local jurisdiction or area ... Key elements are full community participation, assessment of current conditions, target setting for achieving specific goals, monitoring and reporting" (http://www.gdrc.org/uem/la21/la21.html). How well does the Agenda 21 as a policy sit within the context of the local government in Australia? To what extent has it been adopted 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 as it discusses the extent and quality of community participation at the local government level to achieve sustainable development goals. The study views the adoption of the Local Agenda 21 by councils as a surrogate measure of their commitment toward 'ecologically sustainable development goals'. The paper reports on an exploratory study of three local councils, establishing a theoretical framework of analysis for the systematic assessment of the council's performance against the Agenda. The level of adoption of the Agenda are measured in terms of the level at which the Local Agenda 21 principles are incorporated into Council policies and culture and the attitude of the Council staff towards community involvement. Among the factors that influence the level of the Agenda's adoption, the key factors could be identified as being the degree of integration within the internal structures of a council and the level of development pressure found in the local government area.