Community – the heart of local government;
a case study of the Glenelg Shire Council
Adele Kenneally
Diploma of Librarianship
Postgraduate Diploma of Business (Management)
Master of Education (Research)
An exegesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctorate of
Philosophy in Management (Research)
School of Management
College of Business
RMIT University
Melbourne
30 June 2011
Community – the heart of local government; a case study of the Glenelg Shire Council
2011
ii | P a g e Adele Kenneally Student No. 2015394
DECLARATION
I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made, the work
is that of the author alone; the work has not been submitted previously, in
whole or in part, to qualify for any other academic award; the content of the
exegesis is the result of work which has been carried our since the official
commencement date of the approved research program; any editorial
work, paid or unpaid, carried out by a third party is acknowledged; and,
ethics procedures and guidelines have been followed.
Name: Adele Kenneally
Signature:
Date: 29 June 2011
Community – the heart of local government; a case study of the Glenelg Shire Council
2011
iii | P a g e Adele Kenneally Student No. 2015394
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank the Glenelg Shire Council for allowing me and supporting me to
undertake this research project. In particular the Councillors and staff members who
generously gave of their time to be interviewed (sometimes twice), and past and
present Chief Executive Officers; Phil Shanahan, Stuart Burdack and Sharon Kelsey. I
would also like to thank the Senior Management Team, especially Syd Deam whose
quiet words of encouragement often made a big difference. Thanks also to the staff
of the Community Development Department. Their passion for their community and
ongoing desire to make a difference is inspirational. I would particularly like to thank
Sandra Robertson for her assistance in formatting and printing the final documents.
Thanks also to RMIT Hamilton for hosting and organising the Local Government
Forum in May 2010,and for assisting me with the mail out and receipt of the
community surveys.
Friends and colleagues, Dr. Kaye Scholfield, Dr. Cathy Wagg and fellow PhD student
Mary Johnson have also provided advice and support, urging me onwards in a
positive and caring manner.
I have also benefitted from the infinite wisdom, support (both personal and
professional), assistance and advice from my supervisors, Dr. David Hodges and Dr.
Bill Vistarini. Thank you for your patience, unstinting belief in my ability to undertake
and complete this project, and gentle persistence in pushing me to delve deeper to
find meaning and further insights. Thanks for travelling both to and from
Warrnambool to accommodate my need for face to face meetings, and for your
care and understanding through some of the tough times.
Thanks also to Robert Bain for finding the time to do the final proofreading and
editing. My appreciation for undertaking this work with little notice.
Larry and Di Storer also assisted me with the formatting of the final documents for the
final submission in electronic format for archiving. Aside from all the jokes, I truly
appreciated their assistance to enable me to meet some tight time frames.
And last but not least, thanks to my partner Gerry Ruffa. Thanks for making the
journey with me, for putting your life on hold along with mine for the last four years.
Thanks for helping with the data input, proofreading (many times); the countless
cups of tea, hours of listening, encouragement, and unflagging confidence in my
capacity to do the work required. Thanks for building my wonderful new office in
our new house complete with bookshelves, bench space and cupboards. I promise
to keep it much tidier and more organised in the future! Thanks also for nagging
(necessary to keeping me on task at times) and enabling me to find the space and
time to complete this work. I know you didn't want to be acknowledged, but thank
you anyway.
Community – the heart of local government; a case study of the Glenelg Shire Council
2011
iv | P a g e Adele Kenneally Student No. 2015394
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page No.
Figures and Tables
v
Illustrations
vi
Appendices
vii
Acronyms
viii
Abstract
2
Chapter 1
Introduction
5
Introduction Part One - Research Framework
6
Introduction Part Two - Setting the Scene - Glenelg
Shire Council
13
Chapter 2
The Research Environment
28
Introduction
29
Part 1 - Local government
32
Part 2 - Organisational and cultural change
45
Part 3 - Gender and leadership in local government
53
Part 4 - Disadvantage
58
Chapter 3
Research Design
66
Research Methods
74
Data Analysis
79
Chapter 4
Making Sense of the Experience and the Data
83
Introduction
84
Strand A - Doing the Research
89
Strand B - A Kaleidoscope of Disadvantage
103
Strand C - Winning the Tug Of War
113
Strand D - Down and Dirty in the Trenches
121
Strand E – The low-down on leading ladies
131
Chapter 5
Key Themes - Significant Landscapes
141
Introduction
142
Undertaking Local Government in a 3D Environment
144
Local Government - Where are we heading and how
do we engage our communities?
153
Local Government Responsiveness - how can we do it
better?
160
Leading in Local Government - Dealing with unique
and complex situations of uncertainty
166
Chapter 6
Conclusion
175
Appendices
189
References
234
Community – the heart of local government; a case study of the Glenelg Shire Council
2011
v | P a g e Adele Kenneally Student No. 2015394
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Figures Page No.
Figure No. 1
Map of Victoria indicating Glenelg Shire area
13
Figure No. 2
Map indicating settlements and towns of Glenelg Shire
14
Figure No. 3
Glenelg Shire Council Organisational Chart 2008
20
Figure No. 4
Community Satisfaction Survey Results 2006-2010 in the
area of community engagement compared with the
large rural shires group
178
Tables Page No.
Table No. 1
Glenelg Shire Council employees by occupation 2007
18
Table No. 2
Community Satisfaction Survey: Glenelg Council
Performance over 7 years
23
Table No. 3
Staff Interviewee Profile
76
Table No. 4
Councillor Interviewee Profile
76
Table No. 5
Data Collection timeline
78
Notes on text:
Except where otherwise referenced, notes in bold italics are from the
research data or journal
Extracts from transcripts of interviews or the research journal are in bold Calibri
font
Postscripts are in shaded text boxes
In Chapters 4-5, quotes from the community are in blue text, quotes from
councillors are in green text and quotes from staff are in orange text