The department provides support and advisory services to 139 local governments, including 2 Indian Ocean Territories.
Our services aim to improve the capacity of local governments to respond to community demands and expectations, levels of accountability and legislative compliance.
There are 2 support services available to local government officers and council members — a general advisory line and a financial policy and accounting help desk. Members of the public with concerns involving their local government should attempt to resolve them directly with their local government.
Find out more about resolving a concern with your local government
Email lghotline@dlgsc.wa.gov.auTelephone 1300 762 5118:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday
To allow for an informed response, it is preferred that complex enquiries are made by email in the first instance.
Questions related to long service leave should be directed to the responsible area of the relevant local government, or if a member, to WALGA's Employee Relations service.
Financial and accounting support for WA’s local government sector.
Guidelines to help local governments work efficiently and effectively.
A guide to meetings for elected members to support their effective participation in council and committee meetings.
The first tranche of reforms to the Local Government Act 1995 has passed through Parliament. These local government reforms, the most significant in 25 years, will strengthen local democracy and provide for greater transparency, efficiency and accountability.
This first tranche focuses on electoral reform and has been introduced first to ensure the changes will be in effect for the October 2023 ordinary elections. The second tranche of reforms is due to be introduced later in 2023.
A key feature of the State Government’s reform agenda is standardising:
Our next reform webinar will focus on the changes to the constitution of local government councils, the ward and representation review process and the change and transitional orders which will be issued next month to implement reforms.
For this webinar, our reform team will be joined by Cr Dan Bull, Chair of the Local Government Advisory Board.
To find out more, join us for the third reform webinar at 10:30am on 1 June. If you missed our first and second reform webinars, including an introduction from the Minister for Local Government, you can view them on our website.