Budgeting in public authorities has some distinctive characteristics, a feature of which in the early 2000s seems to be relative starvation of labour-intense environmental and social roles alongside relative abundance for major construction projects such as roads. Sometimes funds are more easily obtained for capital projects which are glamorous than for recurrent maintenance which has to be funded year after year.
The approach within local government – which have more discretion to raise their own funds upon request from parks and leisure officers – than in state or federal departments which have to manage their affairs within the budgets handed down by Treasury/Finance with more bureaucratic obstacles to navigate if a bright idea is to be placed on the government’s agenda.