Council member mandatory training requirements

Council members elected at the recent elections have 12 months to complete Council Member Essentials training.

This training consists of five units and can be completed through the WA Local Government Association, North Metropolitan TAFE, or South Metropolitan TAFE.

Recognising the unique and challenging role that council members have; the training provides them with the skills and knowledge to perform their role as leaders in their district.

As the requirement for training was introduced in June 2019, any council members re-elected in 2023 are exempt from the requirement to complete training within 12 months, providing they completed the Council Member Essentials training following their 2019 election.

Council members are also exempt if they have completed any of the following courses within the past five years:

• 52756WA – Diploma of Local Government (Elected Member)
• LGA50220 – Diploma of Local Government – Elected Member
• LGASS00007 – Elected Member
• LGASS00002 – Elected Member Skill Set.

Please arrange for the Council Member Essentials training to be made available to newly elected council members.

To reinforce the importance of mandatory training, the WA Government is progressing local government reforms to ensure that council members who do not complete this training within the 12-month period will not be able to receive council member allowances until they have complied with the requirements. This is intended to be part of the second tranche reforms to Local Government Act 1995.

Further information

If you have any questions, please contact the Local Government Hotline on 1300 762 511 or lghotline@dlgsc.wa.gov.au