Local Government Reform

The State Government is reforming the Local Government Act 1995.

These are the most significant reforms to the Local Government Act 1995 (the Act) in 25 years and aim to ensure local governments better serve residents and ratepayers.

Reforms have been crafted in consultation with the local government sector and are based on 6 themes:

  1. Earlier intervention, effective regulation and stronger penalties
  2. Reducing red tape, increasing consistency and simplicity
  3. Greater transparency and accountability
  4. Stronger local democracy and community engagement
  5. Clearer roles and responsibilities
  6. Improved financial management and reporting.

Full Reform Proposals provides an overview of the reform themes and all reforms topics consulted on.

To ensure that key election related reforms were in place before the 2023 local government elections, the amendments to the Act were divided into 2 tranches. The first tranche, the Local Government Amendment Act 2023, focused on electoral reform.

The second tranche focuses on introducing the new Local Government Inspector and monitors for early intervention and resolution of issues, as well as a range of other important reforms to the local government sector.

Reforms explained

Resources

News

Reform toolkit

Jul 12, 2023, 09:41 AM by User Not Found
There are several electoral reforms that will be in place for the local government elections in October and it is essential that the community is aware of these changes.

For this reason, the State Government has produced a toolkit for local governments which contains communications material that is designed to ensure ratepayers in particular are properly informed before casting their vote.

The communications toolkit covers the three main electoral reforms — the introduction of Optional Preferential Voting (OPV), direct voting for mayor/president in some councils and changes to council representation.

The toolkit consists of:

  • 1 x Notice to Residents from Local Government Minister David Michael that can be emailed or printed/mailed to residents. An alternative Notice to Residents from DLGSC Director General Lanie Chopping is also available if preferred.
  • 2 x factsheets (A4 size) and posters (A3 size), one with information about the 3 electoral reforms and another specifically about OPV. This material can be emailed or printed/mailed direct to ratepayers/residents. The posters can be printed and displayed at council facilities and venues. These can be attached to/included with the Notice to Residents.
  • 2 x short videos, one presented by Minister Michael about the 3 electoral reforms and another specifically about OPV with voice-over only. These can be uploaded to local government websites and distributed via social media and other communication channels.
  • 3 x social media posts on the reforms and OPV, with images.

Your support to help us inform and educate the community about the reforms is vital to ensure that voters know about these changes so their vote will count at the October elections. We urge you to please utilise the toolkit and distribute the communications material extensively within your community in the lead-up to the elections.

Want more information?

The department holds regular webinars to explain reforms and update the local government sector on progress.

Register for LG Alerts to be notified of future webinars.

Previous local government webinars are available to view.

Still have questions?

If you have questions about local government reform email us at actreview@dlgsc.wa.gov.au 

Page reviewed 15 August 2024