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Australians are hospitable. They are also enthusiastic about their areas and interests. So our first hint is to be prepared to ask questions, to email or write people and organisations.
While Australian's knock (knocking is an Australian tradition) their public services and public servants, the reality is that they are remarkably good at all levels (Federal, state, local). They also want to be helpful. Again, feel free to ask for support and to ask questions.
While Australians are hospitable and efficient, they are also human. Sometimes people will not respond because they are busy, because your email or letter gets lost. Sometimes a person will not help. So you may need to be persistent, to be prepared to move on if persistence fails.
Australia's federal system can create complications. A few hints:
At local level there are two key information sources
The first is the local council. Most if not all local councils have their own web sites. Much of the information on these is directed at locals. However, they also provide information on local organistions and on the economic development and tourism organisations maintained by most local councils.
Each state has its own local government association whose web site includes contact details for local councils. These sites are listed under our individual state links section.
The second key local information source is the local newspaper. These generally have their own web sites. Most council web sites include links to local paper web sites. In addition, Australia's National Library maintains a central register of Australia's newspaper on-line editions - http://www.nla.gov.au/npapers.