The department will be closed from Monday 23 December 2024 and will reopen on Thursday 2 January 2025. We will respond to queries in the new year. Best wishes for a safe and happy festive season.
The reforms to the Local Government Act 1995 include changes to wards, councillor numbers and requiring a public election of the mayor or president for all larger councils.
The following steps should be undertaken by all local governments in relation to conducting a ward and representation review for submission to the Local Government Advisory Board (the Advisory Board).
The Local Government Regulations Amendment Regulations (No. 2) 2023 prescribe the different classes of local government based on the bands under Salaries and Allowances Tribunal determination.
Local governments that are classified as class 3 or 4 (band 3 or 4 under the current Salaries and Allowances Tribunal determination) will be unable to have wards.
Councillors who were part of abolished wards will instead become councillors for each district.
New section 2.16B of the Local Government Act 1995 provides for the Governor of Western Australia, by way of an order, to specify an estimate of a local government district’s population.
The Local Government (Population Estimates) Order 2023 sets out the estimates of the populations for all local government districts in Western Australia.
The population estimate is based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data and it has been approved by the Government Statistician for Western Australia in consultation with the Minister for Local Government.
Local governments will have a maximum and minimum number of council members based upon their population. Namely:
Local governments that are classified as class 1 or 2 (band 1 or 2 under the current Salaries and Allowances Tribunal determination) will be required to elect the mayor or president through a vote by the electors (popularly elected).
This change will take effect at the next local government ordinary elections in 2023.
The office of a popularly elected mayor or president is additional to the office of a councillor.
Each council’s situation is different, and your local government may have undertaken a ward and representation review to address how and when the council membership will be changed.
Other local governments may have chosen or been placed onto the ‘electoral reform pathway’.
Below outlines the changes to local governments that will be in effect for the upcoming ordinary local government elections.
Below captures ordinary vacancies for the 2023 and 2025 ordinary elections, but does not capture extraordinary vacancies (for example offices vacated before the expiry of the term).
The following 53 local governments have changes to their representation for the 2023 elections.
Local Government Regulations Amendment Regulations (No. 2) 2023, regulation 12
7 wards:
5 wards:
No wards
4 wards:
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1915
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1900
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1911
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1905
No wards.
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1903
Local Government Regulations Amendment Regulations (No. 2) 2023, regulation 11
Government Gazette No. 88 (30 June 2023) page 2343
7 councillors
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1909
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1916
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1913
9 councillors
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1910
3 wards:
2 wards:
Local Government Regulations Amendment Regulations (No. 2) 2023, regulation 12.
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1907
Government Gazette No. 88 (30 June 2023) page 2379
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2387
6 councillors
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1908
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2397
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2399
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2403
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2421
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1902
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2423
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2425
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2429
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1904
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2439
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2443
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1912
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2449
5 councillors
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1906
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1914
Government Gazette No. 80 (20 June 2023) page 1917
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2451
The following 17 local governments have staged changes to their representation for both the 2023 and 2025 elections.
Government Gazette No. 88 (30 June 2023) page 2303
Government Gazette No. 88 (30 June 2023) page 2311 and 2315
Government Gazette No. 88 (30 June 2023) page 2323
8 councillors
Government Gazette No. 88 (30 June 2023) page 2327
Government Gazette No. 88 (30 June 2023) page 2333
Government Gazette No. 88 (30 June 2023) page 2339
10 councillors
Government Gazette No. 88 (30 June 2023) page 2355 and 2359
Government Gazette No. 88 (30 June 2023) page 2363
Government Gazette No. 88 (30 June 2023) page 2367
Government Gazette No. 88 (30 June 2023) page 2371
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2389
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2393
Councillor (term expires 2027).
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2407
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2411
Terms for offices expiring in 2023 elections
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2431
Government Gazette No. 89 (30 June 2023) page 2435