Local Government Reform

The State Government is reforming the Local Government Act 1995 (the Act).

These are the most significant reforms to the sector 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 six themes:

To ensure that key election related reforms were in place before the 2023 local government elections, the amendments to the Act were divided into two tranches. The first tranche, which was passed by Parliament on 11 May 2023, focused on electoral reform.

The second tranche focuses on establishing the new Local Government Inspector and introducing local government monitors for early intervention and resolution of problems.

Reforms explained

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Resources and participation

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News

Reform toolkit

Jul 12, 2023, 09:41 AM by User Not Found
There are several electoral reforms that will be in place for the local government elections in October and it is essential that the community is aware of these changes.

For this reason, the State Government has produced a toolkit for local governments which contains communications material that is designed to ensure ratepayers in particular are properly informed before casting their vote.

The communications toolkit covers the three main electoral reforms — the introduction of Optional Preferential Voting (OPV), direct voting for mayor/president in some councils and changes to council representation.

The toolkit consists of:

  • 1 x Notice to Residents from Local Government Minister David Michael that can be emailed or printed/mailed to residents. An alternative Notice to Residents from DLGSC Director General Lanie Chopping is also available if preferred.
  • 2 x factsheets (A4 size) and posters (A3 size), one with information about the 3 electoral reforms and another specifically about OPV. This material can be emailed or printed/mailed direct to ratepayers/residents. The posters can be printed and displayed at council facilities and venues. These can be attached to/included with the Notice to Residents.
  • 2 x short videos, one presented by Minister Michael about the 3 electoral reforms and another specifically about OPV with voice-over only. These can be uploaded to local government websites and distributed via social media and other communication channels.
  • 3 x social media posts on the reforms and OPV, with images.

Your support to help us inform and educate the community about the reforms is vital to ensure that voters know about these changes so their vote will count at the October elections. We urge you to please utilise the toolkit and distribute the communications material extensively within your community in the lead-up to the elections.

Want more information?

Full Reform Proposals provides an overview of all the reforms topics that were consulted on.

The DLGSC 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 webinars are available for viewing:  Local government reform webinars

Still have questions?

If you still have questions about reform, email us at actreview@dlgsc.wa.gov.au 

Page reviewed 10 May 2024
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