New portal fast-tracks NSW planning process Community & Social The introduction of a new planning portal in NSW will mean assessment times are reduced by up to 30 days, according to the state government.
Albanese pledges to bring urban policy to the national stage Wednesday June 23, 2021 By Melissa Coade Federal Albanese said disbanding the Australian Council of Local Government ripped away ‘an important function of the relationship between the two levels of government’.
Review to examine NSW councillor misconduct framework Friday June 11, 2021 By Shannon Jenkins New South Wales The NSW government has commissioned an independent review of the effectiveness of the state's framework for dealing with councillor misconduct.
WA introduces legislative changes for local government Tuesday February 2, 2021 By Shannon Jenkins News Legislative changes that require local governments in WA to comply with minimum standards covering the recruitment, selection, performance review and early termination of chief executive…
NSW, Victorian governments call on women to stand for council elections Thursday September 17, 2020 By Shannon Jenkins Community & Social The New South Wales and Victorian governments have been promoting campaigns to encourage more women to nominate and stand for their communities at the next…
New Vic local gov laws seek transparency, miss donations caps Tuesday November 19, 2019 By Shannon Jenkins Community & Social The Victorian government plans to bring in a state-wide code of conduct for councillors as well as mandatory training for council election candidates. The Local…
Councils urged to bake digital rights into smart cities as CCTV and facial recognition raise fears Tuesday November 19, 2019 By Stephen Easton News Australian advocacy group Digital Rights Watch is calling out local councils over the "surveillance technology, data collection and privacy invasion" that is on the rise…
Outback councils always do it tough, but is freezing local democracy the answer? Tuesday October 8, 2019 By Stephen Easton New South Wales The New South Wales government will not allow residents of the vast but sparsely populated Central Darling Shire to elect a council until 2023 at…
Governments that are receptive to community engagement see better outcomes, new research finds Wednesday September 11, 2019 By Shannon Jenkins Career Advice The University of Technology Sydney's Dr Krithika Randhawa looked at the use of ‘citizensourcing’ by 18 Australian councils over two years, finding that the councils…
Commissioners appointed to public inquiry into troubled council Thursday May 16, 2019 By David Donaldson News The Victorian government has announced the commissioners and terms of reference for the commission of inquiry into the troubled South Gippsland Shire Council.
Firefighters recognised for bravery and service, and high risk of work-related cancer Tuesday May 14, 2019 By Stephen Easton New South Wales The New South Wales Rural Fire Service recently heard the government had worked out how to pay for extra workers' compensation to firefighters who develop…
Local government paralysed as Qld corruption watchdog's council clean-up continues Tuesday April 30, 2019 By Stephen Easton News Two thirds of Logan City Council face criminal charges over their decision to dump CEO Sharon Kelsey at the end of her probationary period. It's…
No naming and shaming: corruption-resistant councils the goal of IBAC research Friday March 29, 2019 By Stephen Easton News Victoria's corruption watchdog has released a new instalment in its series of reports on local government, which aims to show council administrators what a good…
NSW councils applaud auditor-general's first foray into their sector Tuesday February 6, 2018 By Stephen Easton News New South Wales residents should be given more detailed information about how local councils spend their money and what they get out of it, the…
Why local council elections are undemocratic Thursday September 14, 2017 By The Mandarin Features Through quirks of history that give votes for corporations and extra votes to property owners, local government elections in five Australian states are subject to…
