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

Local government reform webinar 7

Nov 6, 2023, 10:06 AM by User Not Found
Please join us for our monthly reform webinar.
When: Tuesday 21 November 2023
Time: 9:00am – 11:00am AWST

This month we will doing a comprehensive recap of the local government reforms that are underway including:
  • An address from the Hon David Michael MLA, Minister for Local Government
  • The recently made amendment regulations
  • The regulation projects that are in development
  • The second tranche amendment bill
This event is intended to assist new and returning council members and local government employees in understanding what reforms are expected over the coming calendar year.

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