Victoria’s Local Government Inspectorate has released the results of a review of councils’ compliance with the Local Government Act 2020.
The new legislation required councils to create or update a range of policies over an 18-month period, and the review found that councils were largely in compliance.
More than 1,000 individual policies and documents were reviewed, resulting in an average compliance rate of 93% across the state’s 79 councils.
The Inspectorate has made eight recommendations to improve documentation, on matters including CEO Employment and Remuneration Policy, Governance Rules and Election Period Policy, and Audit and Risk Committees.
It has also suggested that Local Government Victoria provide formal guidance around the appointment of CEO employment matters committees and on how independent professional advice should be obtained in relation to those matters.
More detail on the Inspectorate’s review is available here.