Whither Rural Leadership? A Case Study in Central Queensland

For rural Australia, the last two decades have involved a further deterioration in the terms of trade of the farm sector. This is associated with an increase in farm size and the area managed by each labour unit. Thus, in most regions where the trend to rural residential development is uncommon, there has generally been a significant decline in the hinterland populations for rural service centres. This has placed downward pressure on the overall rural populations. At the same time, the 'safety-net' provided by governments, manifest in support for ailing local economies, has been progressively withdrawn and communities must increasingly rely upon their own resources if they are to survive. This paper, after briefly reviewing the consequences in this policy shift, focuses on the role of local leadership and provides details of the changing pressures on leaders in four Central Queensland towns through the 1990s.