Local Government Reform — Here we go again, or otherwise known as, ‘Tranche Two’

11 November 2021

In another busy, if not hectic, week for councils, the second tranche of amendments to be made to the Local Government Act 1999 (the Act) by the Statutes Amendment (Local Government Review) Act 2021 have commenced. This is the subject of notification in the Gazette.

Whilst there continues to be an abundance of resources available regarding these amendments, in many instances simply by way of a recitation of the new provisions, we maintain our commitment to provide our clients with practical, timely and, most importantly, relevant information and advice. We will, therefore, continue to provide you with focused Alerts, as part of our series, looking at the more significant amendments and providing practical overview information.

That is, information that is easy to understand and digest and which can be implemented by you ‘right now’.

Consistent with this commitment, we will, over the next few weeks, publish further ‘snapshot’ Alerts setting out our analysis of the substantive reform proposals that have commenced under this second tranche and which include:

• Access to Council Information
• Internal Review of Council Decisions
• CEO Appointment and Performance Review

In addition, substantial amendments have also been made to the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999. These will have considerable impact for councils (and elected members), particularly in the lead up to the 2022 local government general elections. We will, of course, also be providing an Alert regarding these important changes.

In the interim if you, or your council, has any questions about these, or the first tranche of amendments to the Act, please contact:

Michael Kelledy on 08 8113 7103 or mkelledy@kelledyjones.com.au;

Natasha Jones on 08 8113 7102 or njones@kelledyjones.com.au;

Tracy Riddle on 08 8113 7106 or triddle@kelledyjones.com.au; or

Cimon Burke on 08 8113 7105 or cburke@kelledyjones.com.au.