Today on the Local Government News Roundup:

• Councillor attendance under the microscope in Victoria
• A disturbing video reignites calls for more CCTV in a rural municipality
• New lobbying rules on the way for councils in NSW
• Albury Council defers a proposed 30 per cent special rate variation
• Complaints about one Queensland council double in a year
• More conduct rulings about Tasmanian councillors as elections approach
• and UK households set to get more time to pay their Council tax debt under new government rules

and more news from the world of local government in Australia and beyond.

Also today, hear how Warrnambool City Council reduced its infringement review backlog to zero with the help of our sponsor, Symphony3.

Listen now wherever you listen to podcasts.

The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government; with support from Symphony3 – simple, connected customer experiences; and Rath Engineering Development – smarter local government systems built from real on-the-ground experience.

In this episode:

Victoria

A Herald Sun analysis of meeting minutes has put Victorian councillor attendance under the microscope.

The review covered one thousand and sixty-three meetings across seventy-eight councils in the 2025 to 2026 financial year. It recorded five hundred and fifty-two absences: four hundred and thirty-two apologies, one hundred and ten approved leaves of absence, five parental leave and four no-shows. Just three councils, Corangamite, Maribyrnong and West Wimmera, recorded perfect attendance.

Greater Dandenong had the highest absence rate at about twenty per cent. Gannawarra, Murrindindi, Maroondah and Hume followed. The paper notes Greater Dandenong also had the most transparent attendance records, and that Murrindindi’s figure was influenced by one councillor’s extended leave before resigning.

The report also highlights a difference in attendance rules when compared to other jurisdictions. Victorian councillors can be absent for up to four months before losing office, while most other states allow three consecutive meetings.

Yarra’s Mayor Cr Stephen Jolly says Victoria’s rules need tightening, while Greater Dandenong Mayor Cr Sophie Tan says councillors have a range of legitimate reasons for absence, noting that councils cannot unreasonably refuse a leave request.

Northern Grampians Shire Council has responded to community concerns about safety in Stawell, after a video was posted on social media at the weekend. Council says the matter is the subject of an active police investigation.

Mayor Cr Karen Hyslop said the incident has renewed calls for council-managed C-C-T-V. She said installing cameras at hotspots shire-wide would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, in a rate-capped environment.

Council’s policy has not changed, but residents can email a request for it to be reviewed.

Some holiday home owners in Bass Coast Shire are urging the Council to reverse an increase in its short-stay registration fee.

The annual fee rose earlier this year from three hundred and twenty-four dollars to six hundred dollars.

Mayor Cr Brett Tessari says the increase is needed to cover costs such as waste and complaints from permanent residents.

ABC News reports a petition has drawn about five hundred and fifty responses, and tourism advocates warn the fee could deter owners from listing their homes.

The Victorian Government has approved up to one thousand one hundred homes on the former Talbot Quarry and Landfill site in Oakleigh South.

Monash Mayor Cr Stuart James says the Council supports housing there if the site can be made safe, but contamination, landfill gas and ground conditions remain unresolved.

The approved open space contribution is under three per cent, against Council’s seven point six one per cent minimum.

The state government says the project will include extensive public open space.

Swan Hill Rural City Council has welcomed a Victorian Labor election commitment to reinvest all mineral resource royalties into regional Victoria.

Mayor Cr Stuart King said communities that support the industry should share in its economic benefits. He pointed to growing demands on regional roads, housing and services as emerging industries expand.

Council is now calling on all political parties to make the same pledge.

The council has also welcomed a one hundred million dollar election commitment from the Coalition towards replacing the Swan Hill Bridge.

Mayor Cr Stuart King described it as a major milestone in Council’s long-running advocacy, and called on all other parties to match the commitment.

Council says the existing bridge carries about four thousand vehicles a day, with heavy vehicles making up nine to thirteen per cent of traffic, based on December twenty twenty-two figures.

Mitchell Shire Council has welcomed a Liberal and Nationals commitment to secure the land, complete the business case and build the Kilmore Bypass.

Council says the bypass would take heavy trucks off Sydney Street, in a town of close to thirteen thousand people that is expected to double in twenty years.

It has asked every party and candidate contesting the November the twenty-eighth State Election to commit to funding the next stage.

The Municipal Association of Victoria has received national recognition for its innovation work, with MAV-lab collecting four awards at the Australian Good Design Awards.

Two went to its work on responsible A-I in local government: Best in Class and Best in Discipline. A third recognised its work building collective innovation capability across councils.

MAV Chief Innovator in Residence Ms Bonnie Shaw also received a Women in Design Award.

MAV President Cr Jennifer Anderson said the MAV aim’s to help all Victorian councils, big and small, build innovation capacity.

Mildura Rural City Council has successfully reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 329 tonnes over the past financial year, according to its latest environmental sustainability report.

The municipality also achieved significant milestones by cutting water consumption by five per cent and diverting more than 16,000 tonnes of waste from landfill.

Mildura Mayor Ali Cupper said the report showed that meaningful outcomes could be achieved through consistent action and buy in from the community.

Cardinia Shire Council has confirmed the Pakenham Carols will not be held this year.

Council had sought to move the event to a community-led model, inviting expressions of interest in July. It says no suitable community partner or delivery arrangement could be secured.

Council is pointing residents to other Council-supported carols across the shire, and says Festival and Events grant funding remains open to community groups.

New South Wales

Lobbying rules in New South Wales are set to extend to local government for the first time.

The state Government has announced reforms that would require third-party lobbyists to disclose their links to councils.

The Electoral Commission will be formalised as the lobbying regulator, with new powers to investigate suspected breaches.

The Special Minister of State, John Graham, said corrupt behaviour has targeted local government, and that protections need to be strengthened.

The reforms follow revelations at ICAC’s Operation Rosny inquiry, which recently completed eight weeks of public hearings.

Albury City Council has deferred a proposed special rate variation of nearly thirty per cent over two years.

The Border Mail reported that councillors voted five to four on Monday against a staff recommendation to proceed.

The need for a variation will be reviewed in April and May next year, as part of the 2027/28 budget.

C-E-O Jason Gordon will also report on how the council’s deficit grew, and on options to return to budget neutral without a rate rise.

Meanwhile, nearby councils are objecting to a proposed overhaul of how federal financial assistance grants are distributed.

Federation, Greater Hume and Lockhart have lodged submissions with the New South Wales Local Government Grants Commission.

Federation Mayor Cr Cheryl Cook has warned the change could be catastrophic, with the shire facing a loss of two point one six million dollars. Greater Hume’s modelling points to a reduction of more than four million dollars. The review would increase the share going to Albury and Wagga.

Upper Lachlan Shire Council has also lodged a formal submission with the Grants Commission, calling for further financial modelling on proposed methodology changes.

The submission cautions that the draft funding distribution could severely impact rural and regional councils, and it is instead urging authorities to maintain the existing framework until funding pools are fully restored.

Seven people are suing Eurobodalla Shire Council in the New South Wales Supreme Court, alleging it failed to protect them from sexual abuse as children, according to the ABC.

The claims relate to council-licensed home daycare in Batemans Bay in the nineteen-nineties. The statement of claim alleges the council received multiple complaints about the operator and failed to adequately respond.

The council has declined to comment on the proceedings, but says it now operates under rigorous child safety standards.

The matters return to court in February.

The City of Parramatta has endorsed a renewed partnership with the Parramatta Eels, after most councillors backed the deal at Monday night’s meeting.

According to the Parramatta Advertiser, the council will invest two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year for three years, supporting the club’s N-R-L-W team and community programs.

Unlike the previous deal, approved in a confidential meeting in twenty twenty-four, this one was debated in public. Cr Manning Jeffrey and Cr Kellie Darley raised objections to ratepayer funds being used for these purposes. A similar deal with the Western Sydney Wanderers is being revised.

Wagga Wagga City Council has authorised its G-M to enter a contract to sell land at Gregadoo to CDC Data Centres, the company proposing a fifteen billion dollar data centre campus.

According to Region Riverina, the sale is conditional on community benefits worth at least one hundred and fifty million dollars, with CDC separately proposing another seventy-five million.

The decision was debated in closed session. The New South Wales Government, not Council, will determine the development application, and no approval has been granted.

Coffs Harbour City Councillor Paul Amos is resigning, effective Wednesday October the fourteenth.

Cr Amos was first elected in twenty sixteen and served as Mayor from twenty twenty-one to twenty twenty-four, overseeing the opening of the Wiigulga Sports Complex and presiding at the opening of Yarrila Place.

Mayor Cr Nikki Williams said he served through flood, bushfire and the pandemic.

A by-election, run by the N-S-W Electoral Commission, will follow, expected to be within three months.

Georges River Council is assessing the cost of repairs after repeated e-bike vandalism severely damaged multiple putting greens at the Hurstville Golf Course.

The council is now installing new warning signs and reviewing security measures to prevent further incidents. Anyone with information is urged to contact local police.

Mayor Elise Borg has asked everyone who visits the course to respect the facility and help protect it for the community.

Port Stephens Council will vote later this month on whether to end its free peak-season shuttle bus trial.

Council documents report high passenger satisfaction, but say the service did not ease holiday traffic and cost more than thirteen dollars per passenger journey, or up to one hundred and eighty-one thousand dollars annually.

Council’s recommendation is to discontinue the trial and ask Transport for N-S-W for state funding for peak services.

The Newcastle News reports that Cr Mark Watson will propose extending the trial for a second year to gather more data.

The NSW Office of Local Government has approved an alternative panel of conduct reviewers for councils.

The O-L-G approved the Performance and Management Services Prequalification Scheme, administered by buy dot N-S-W, under the Model Code of Conduct procedures. Councils can now draw on it when reviewers on their own panels are unavailable.

Councils must still appoint and maintain their own panels, and the OLG says existing procedures apply until the new Councillor Conduct Framework is in place.

Queensland

Complaints about conduct at Cairns Regional Council have doubled, according to the Cairns Post.

The council’s annual report shows thirty complaints were referred to the Office of the Independent Assessor in the last financial year. Twenty-four of those came from councillors, the Mayor and the C-E-O. The year before, the total was fifteen.

That runs against the statewide trend. The O-I-A received seven hundred and twenty-five complaints or notifications in twenty twenty-five to twenty twenty-six, down twenty-eight per cent.

Councillors are due to vote on endorsing the annual report at Wednesday’s ordinary meeting.

At that same meeting, councillors will vote on a major meeting overhaul that is set to scrap the traditional Mayoral minute, according to Cairns Post.

The proposed changes follow recent legislative updates introduced by the Queensland Government. Under the revised guidelines, the order of business will alter standard procedures before councillors move on to official officers’ reports.

The Fraser Coast’s unemployment rate has held at four point five per cent for a second consecutive quarter, the lowest level recorded since comparable local government area data became available.

Fraser Coast Regional Council says the June twenty twenty-six figures compare with twelve point one per cent in December twenty twenty.

The estimated number of unemployed residents fell by nine hundred and forty-one over the past year.

Mayor Cr George Seymour said there is more to do to ensure local people have access to rewarding jobs.

Border Collies have officially overtaken Staffordshire Terriers as the top dog breed on the Fraser Coast.

The Council has released stats from its latest annual registration figures, revealing that 1,724 Border Collies are registered, about 200 more than there are Staffordshire Terriers, the previous top dog.

Maltese, Kelpies and Cattle Dogs complete the top 5, while sadly Chiahuahuas have dropped out of the top ten.

Tasmania

A code of conduct panel has found Glenorchy City Council Alderman Peter Ridler breached the council’s code of conduct.

According to the ABC, the breaches related to conduct towards female staff in late twenty twenty-four, including inappropriate physical contact and comments.

The panel imposed a reprimand, a one-month suspension from council duties, and training.

The report, dated July twenty twenty-five, was only made public this week. Alderman Ridler is seeking re-election this month, and the ABC reports he has been contacted for comment.

A code of conduct panel has suspended Northern Midlands Councillor Dick Adams for two months, after finding he failed to declare a conflict of interest during a vote at a council meeting in December twenty twenty-four.

According to The Mercury, the suspension began on October the first and runs through the local government elections.

The panel found Cr Adams should have left the room for a vote on seeking an independent investigation into past council spending, because he had taken part in the earlier decisions concerned.

It is his third conflict of interest penalty. Cr Adams maintained he had no conflict.

Outgoing Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds has endorsed a group of five Greens candidates in her final newsletter ahead of the upcoming local government elections.

According to Pulse Tasmania, the retiring leader criticised candidates running on a back to basics platform and warned voters against supporting a celebrity contender.

Thirty-two candidates are contesting seats on the the councilwith voting closing on October 27.

South Australia

The City of Adelaide has announced it will replace its festive centerpiece with a custom-designed, twenty-five-metre Christmas tree in Victoria Square ahead of November’s pageant.

The multi-sensory installation features more than 66,000 LED bulbs and an integrated sound system to boost CBD visitation during the holiday trading period.

Lord Mayor Dr Jane Lomax-Smith said the new interactive landmark would replace a decades-old structure to deliver a refreshed experience for local businesses and the community.

The City of Onkaparinga will install twelve new bus shelters by June twenty twenty-seven, funded by a further one hundred and fifty thousand dollars from the state’s Department for Infrastructure and Transport.

It follows eleven shelters installed earlier this year under an earlier grant of the same amount, bringing the total investment to three hundred thousand dollars for twenty-three shelters.

Mayor Moira Were said the new locations were selected based on community demand.

Wattle Range Council is considering a proposal to develop forty-five housing blocks on council-owned land in Millicent to help fund a new early learning centre.

According to a report by the SE Voice, the project could be supported by federal funding and is expected to proceed to a business case decision.

Council staff note that securing federal grants will depend on preparing the site to be shovel ready.

The late Kathryn Jarrett has received a posthumous Special Mention at the South Australian Women of Impact Awards for her dedicated service to the community.

Nominated by Premier Peter Malinauskas, the former Whyalla City Council employee was celebrated for more than two decades of public advocacy and local leadership.

Her enduring legacy includes guiding major regional projects and empowering residents across the state.

Western Australia

The City of Stirling has set out a vision for two vacant sites at Scarborough Beach, together covering four thousand seven hundred square metres in the centre of the foreshore.

The City is progressing planning for the northern site as public space for sport, recreation and events. For the southern site, it is launching an expression of interest process for a low-scale, hospitality-led, family-friendly destination of one or two storeys.

Mayor Cr Mark Irwin described the sites as the final big pieces of the puzzle for the foreshore.

International

UK:

The UK Government has announced changes to give English households more time to get help with council tax debt.

From April next year, councils in England will have to send a reminder and then a final notice before a household loses the option to pay by instalments. At present, one reminder is enough before the full year’s bill can be demanded.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says households will have at least 63 days before that option is lost. From April 2028, bills will also be spread over 12 months rather than ten.

English councils are warning of potentially “catastrophic” debts linked to special educational needs and disability support.

According to the Guardian, the County Councils Network forecasts those debts will reach a record ten billion pounds over the next eighteen months. That comes even though the government has cleared more than five billion pounds of historic debt.

The network wants ministers to guarantee that at least ninety per cent of future debts will be covered. The government says it will set out details before March twenty twenty-eight.

Kate Kennally is stepping down after a decade in the top job at Cornwall Council.

She has been on a leave of absence for the past month. The council says it has interim leadership in place while it begins the search for a permanent replacement.

Aberdeen City Council has appointed Andy MacDonald as its permanent chief executive following a recruitment process led by a cross-party panel.

Mr MacDonald has served as interim chief executive and executive director for corporate services since 2018.

USA:

In California, the Stockton City Council will consider two proposals on Tuesday, local time, affecting Vice Mayor Jason Lee, according to Stocktonia.

Council will discuss whether to reconsider his appointment, and vote on a new committee roster that would remove him as chair of the Audit Committee.

The agenda says it’s unresolved whether council has the legal authority to end a vice mayor’s charter-set term early, and no resolution to rescind the appointment is listed.

The proposals follow months of public disputes, and a county civil grand jury report on council governance released in June.

NZ:

Whanganui District Council has received more than 1300 responses to its recent public survey focusing on local service levels and community priorities.

Most participants expressed a preference to maintain core amenities such as roads, footpaths, and parks at their current delivery standards.

Officers will report the findings back to the committee later this month to help shape the draft budget for the upcoming long term plan.

Hastings District Council has appointed Bruce Allan as its C-E-O.

Mr Allan, formerly deputy C-E-O, has been acting in the role since the unexpected death of Nigel Bickle in August. Council approved the appointment unanimously last Friday.

Mayor Wendy Schollum said his financial expertise will be valuable as Council prepares for the transfer of water services to a new regional organisation.

ROUNDUP EXTRA:

Symphony3 is a sponsor of Local Government News Roundup.

Every council that issues infringements eventually faces the same question: what happens when the review queue outgrows the team? In Victoria, the stakes are clear. A council has ninety days to complete an internal review, and if it misses the deadline, the infringement is deemed withdrawn and the revenue is lost.

Warrnambool City Council was reaching more than seventy days with a team of three. Working with Symphony3, it split each review into the preparation that doesn’t need a person and the decision that does. According to Symphony3, officer time per review fell from more than thirty minutes to about five, and the backlog reached zero within a month.

Joining Chris to discuss how this was achieved are James Plozza from Warrnambool City Council, and Alana Napoli from Symphony3.

Details and registration for the upcoming webinar here