A referendum in 1988 resulted in local councils being specifically denied the right to make their own laws. A series of clever legislative moves by succeeding governments has seen this clearly stated desire of the Australian people completely ignored.
There are thousands of people who have had their land taken from them by local, state and federal governments at a fraction of its value; under the guise of building infrastructure, only to have the land on-sold by government to high rolling property investors, mostly from overseas, who build units and housing on that land to make a profit.
Item 04: What’s behind the increase in state and local council charges and laws