There have been discussions of the capacity for corruption at different
government levels. There was a claim that size impacted on the potential
for corruption.

Max writes :

> If Size has something to do with being corruptible why have there been
> 38 federal and state MPs charged and why is it that the large city
> councils, Brisbane included and the ACT have had there councillors
> charged.  From experience the smaller the council the less likely there
> is of corruption.  If I turned up in a new car the day after the five
> story building had been approved in my town, by my deciding vote then
> 2000 rate payers would know what had happened.

Jim wrote in reply :

> Councils like Berrigan - and Cooma-Monaro - are less corruptible but the
> record of corruption prosecutions in local government is probably higher
> than in State government, with the lowest number of prosecutions in
> federal government.  The level of virtue is probably no different but
> the opportunities in developing local government areas are greater.
> Coastal towns and estates and growing cities are the worst examples.
> Larger size provides more opportunity for employment of local government
> members on a full time basis.  This increases critical examination of
> issues.  We need to cater for Byron Bay and Bega Valley as well as
> Berrigan.

> Finally we could do with more critical and local examination of
> government activities at local levels - including police, health,
> education and employment policies.

Mark comments :

> Australia has comparitively few councils compared to countries like the
> US and Switzerland (and many others), and the major source of problems
> in Australia is at the State-Federal interface; local government is, in
> comparison, a peripheral issue.

Certainly, this is worth noting. In terms of the resources directed by
government, misallocation and duplication, Mark does have a point. However,
Local Governments have, in their decision making power, the possibility
of controlling large amounts of non-government money and development.

Hence, the issue becomes the relative importance of efficiently spending
taxpayers money (Federal-State) and the control (and mis-control) of
significant amounts of private money (Local Government).