2.2.9.1  The voluntary grouping of Local Governments to deal with specific regional issues is encouraged.

2.2.9.2  The Local Government Act provides the opportunity for regional approaches to deal with matters which extend across Local Government boundaries and the use of such cooperative arrangements should remain as a matter for decision by individual Local Governments and not be imposed by Federal or State Governments.

2.2.9.3  Federal and State Governments, when referring to 'regional' policy, should not assume that individual Local Governments can be adequately or appropriately subsumed under 'regional' generalisations.  The intra-regional diversity of the needs and resources of councils should be recognised by other spheres of government.

2.2.9.4  Local Government supports the funding by Federal and State Governments of voluntary regional organisations of Councils and similar regional bodies having Local Government membership, only insofar as such funds are in addition to and do not reduce allocations to individual councils through financial assistant grant and other program grant arrangements, unless agreed to by the Councils.