This is mostly empty words.

Specifically, how do you stop Councils rejecting developments based on NIMBY objections? How do you control the "streetscape" dictators? How do you reduce "heritage" from holy writ to rational exception?

There's no answers here.

councils should be much smaller
but with shared resources/equipment

if they want to develop
there is rules/regs/costs in that
all must be born on those 'developing'
including nbn/water..power/sewrage costs

federal regulations overrule only
the states have done much abuse
in lurks..such as too much power..or minesters discretion[lol]

by and large...councils are there for services
so services become centralised/shared..

*..bulk bying..services""...
bulk bying insurances
keeping everything in good repair

Local Government unwisely sees economic rationalism as the solution. Because bureaucrats & the consultants they employ to our detriment put economic rationalism before community building they've removed the starting blocks & put up barriers instead. Their (academic) way of thinking is to start at the end with all profits available at the beginning so the end is never reached. It's akin to building a house first & then waste lots of funding trying to work out how to get the foundation under it.
But obviously this what the majority of people want otherwise it couldn't happen.

Our council seems to be top heavy with staff over 600 are employed. The staff do the bidding of the state government who send directions and they obey. Mostly these staff work from the end and then get everything to fit in with their pre-determination. Councils have become dictatorships and the amount of regulations that they pour out most of which you would only find in 3rd world countries is nothing short of astounding. I suppose they have to justify their jobs. They have wasted money on so many things and neglected the real needs of the area. The Councillors seem powerless to have any influence and are only show ponies most of the time. Other times you wonder how an application can come before council that has been recommended by staff and then gets passed in council without any debate at all. It makes you wonder how do the staff decide to recommend one application and yet a similar application gets negative comments and is not recommended. Interesting times. I think I know what happens.