Today on the Local Government News Roundup:

• A call to trial a return to train services between Geelong and Werribee
• Yass Valley confronts an $8.3M funding gap
• Newcastle’s Lord Mayor confronts a ‘direct attack’ from councillors
• The sector welcomes the scrapping of disaster recovery funding changes
• A Hobart councillor appealing a third suspension for conduct breaches
• Five councillors from one council sanctioned by a conduct panel
• and growing calls for sweeping electoral reforms in New Zealand

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

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

Greater Geelong City and Wyndham City councils are urging the Victorian Government to launch an immediate, low-cost trial connecting Geelong and Werribee by rail.

Under the proposal put to Public Transport Minister Vicki Ward, existing Warrnambool services would be rerouted through the active freight corridor to test commuter demand between the fast-growing regions.

Both councils argue the change would utilise existing infrastructure without waiting for major new builds, improving regional access to jobs and healthcare.

Melbourne Lord Mayor, Nick Reece, has backed South Melbourne Hellas’s push for an A-League licence, the Herald Sun reports.

The club plays in Victoria’s NPL, the tier below, and the A-League has no promotion or relegation. The Lord Mayor said the competition’s rules need to change so Australian clubs can rise on merit, as they can in England and Europe.

His comments came ahead of South Melbourne’s Australia Cup final against Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park, which sold out in under two days.

Kingston Council has welcomed news that Rossdale Golf Club has terminated its agreement with the developer that proposed redeveloping the site.

The club told members its board made the decision after considering the status of the rezoning process and its ongoing impact on the club. It says it will now explore a range of options, and no decisions have been made about its longer-term direction.

Mayor Georgina Oxley said the news would be welcomed by many in the community. She pointed to the council’s work over recent years, including an audit of the site’s environmental values and its connection to the Ramsar-listed Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands, and its calls for independent environmental assessments and a rethink of the state’s golf course rezoning guidelines.

Council says it stands ready to work with the club, and Deputy Mayor Sarah O’Donnell is encouraging residents to support it while its future is considered.

Knox Council says nine letters to state MPs and ministers, seeking stronger rooming house standards, have not received a substantive response, the Eastern Melburnian reports.

Mayor Paige Kennett said the letters also asked for stronger resident protections and more funding for monitoring. Council resolved in January to advocate for planning permits for all rooming houses. Currently, a permit is only required for properties with more than nine rooms.

A state government spokesperson said further protections are coming that will require operators to keep records showing minimum standards are met.

An update now on the Nillumbik Shire wombat burrow story from last week.

Council has suspended all of its rabbit management programs while D-E-E-C-A, the state environment department, independently assesses information about control works carried out at Fergusons Paddock in August.

Council says activity from a number of wombats was detected in the affected area last week. However, some mange-affected wombats are yet to be sighted.

Council has apologised for the distress caused, and says it will cooperate fully with the D-E-E-C-A process and adopt its recommendations.

Frankston City Council has voted to lobby for separate rates for holiday lets, rental properties and vacant land, the Herald Sun reports.

Mayor Sue Baker cast the deciding vote to break a four-all deadlock. The proposal now goes to the Municipal Association of Victoria’s state council meeting on 23 October.

If adopted at state level, councils could set separate rating tiers for short-stay, rental, owner-occupied and vacant properties – but critics warn it could raise costs for renters and accommodation operators.

Meanwhile, Frankston City Council is backing a free, face-to-face financial help day as mortgage stress in the municipality continues to climb.

New data estimates 7,818 Frankston households are experiencing mortgage stress, up 22.4 per cent over the past year. That ranks Frankston fourth among Melbourne’s leading mortgage-stress postcodes, according to the OurTop10 Mortgage Stress Report.

South East Community Links will hold its Bring Your Bills day at the Frankston Arts Centre on Tuesday 20 October.

Mayor Sue Baker said the event makes it easier for residents to get practical help, and encouraged anyone worried about their finances to seek advice early.

New South Wales

An independent financial review has found that Yass Valley Council is facing an eight point three million dollar funding gap by the 2028 financial year.

Consultants AEC presented the assessment to councillors last week, highlighting mounting infrastructure and asset pressures.

An extraordinary meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday to determine whether to commence community engagement regarding the challenges ahead.

Independent lord mayor Gavin Morris has slammed a sports infrastructure motion put forward by Labor councillors at Newcastle City Council as a “direct attack”, and questioned whether the council was returning to its old ways.

The Newcastle Herald reported that a contentious point in the motion criticised public comments Cr Morris made regarding a potential boutique stadium, which were picked up in the local media.

The controversial clause was ultimately removed following debate, with councillors instead passing an amended motion emphasising that major sporting developments must align with existing strategic and financial planning frameworks.

The Alliance of Councils for Albury Wodonga Region Health Services has spent $37,500 on strategic and legal consultancy to guide advocacy for a regional greenfield hospital, reports the Border Mail.

According to the report, both Wodonga City Council and Albury City Council have confidentially determined their preferred locations to present to state governments, aiming to demonstrate unified local government readiness for a single cross-border facility.

While specific sites remain undisclosed due to commercial sensitivities, former candidate shortlists included key central and regional parcels across both municipalities.

Edward River Council Mayor Ashley Hall has met with Federal Water and Environment Minister Murray Watt in Leeton, pressing the case for support for Deniliquin.

Cr Hall welcomed the Commonwealth’s $14.5 million investment in SunRice’s Leeton operations, but said it does little to address the loss of 68 jobs in Deniliquin. The Minister advised he has written to the NSW Government supporting consideration of Deniliquin in the next round of sustainability funding.

The Mayor also restated council’s opposition to further water buybacks, and raised the remaining shortfall under the Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism, along with the Murray-Darling Basin Plan Review.

Shoalhaven City Council is calling on the New South Wales Government to remove the region from the metropolitan waste levy area.

Mayor Patricia White argues that local households contribute approximately $5.6 million annually under a classification that does not reflect regional circumstances.

The council estimates that reclassifying the area would save local ratepayers around $2.37 million every year.

Nambucca Valley Council and Coffs Harbour City Council have backed a united push to combat the exploitation of temporary farm workers in the region.

The councils plan to take a motion addressing modern slavery and the need for labour-hire regulation to the upcoming NSW Local Government Conference.

News of the Area reported that the council’s leadership has been praised by the NSW Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Dr James Cockayne.

Queensland

The Australian Local Government Association has welcomed a federal decision to scrap proposed cuts to disaster recovery funding, maintaining the Commonwealth contribution at up to 75 per cent.

ALGA President Matt Burnett said the plan would have placed an unsustainable financial burden onto local councils and ratepayers following natural disasters.

He said the announcement demonstrates the value of a strong partnership between local governments and the Commonweath and state and territory governments.

Ipswich City Council has welcomed the federal government’s decision to scrap proposed changes that could have left the region with a funding shortfall of $32.7 million.

Mayor Teresa Harding said abandoning the cuts ensures local communities will retain the critical financial support needed to repair infrastructure and recover from future disasters.

Toowoomba Regional Council has welcomed the federal government’s decision to maintain current disaster funding arrangements, estimating it would have been worse off by nearly $50 million since 2018 if the proposed changes had been in place.

Mayor Geoff McDonald praised the united advocacy from local governments across Queensland, ensuring essential support remains protected for disaster-prone communities.

Tasmania

ABC News reports that Hobart councillor Louise Elliot is appealing a third code of conduct suspension.

A panel found she breached the code four times, including by harassing fellow councillor Ryan Posselt, and ordered a one-month suspension. Cr Elliot disputes the findings, and the suspension is on hold pending the appeal.

If the suspension stands, it would be her third this term, giving the Local Government Minister the option to remove her, even if she is re-elected. Voting in Tasmania’s council elections closes on 27 October.

Meanwhile, The Mercury reported that a code of conduct panel has sanctioned five Glamorgan Spring Bay councillors over their approval of a ratepayer-funded memorial bench for a former council employee.

The employee had been sacked and died while awaiting trial on serious criminal charges. The approval contravened council’s memorial policy, and was reversed in April 2025. The panel rejected the argument that the charges were irrelevant because he had not been convicted.

The Mayor and two councillors were reprimanded, while two others received cautions.

Hobart City Council‘s deputy mayor Zelinda Sherlock is promoting a proposal to establish a specialist women’s collective aimed at preventing gendered violence.

Pulse Tasmania reports the initiative would focus on leading a whole-of-council approach and could be pitched to the Local Government Association of Tasmania for statewide adoption.

Cr Sherlock plans to call on the new council to establish what she’s calling the Courage Collective.

South Australia

The Local Government Association of South Australia has warned that the federal credit card surcharge ban will heap fresh pressure on tight local government budgets.

Chief executive Victoria MacKirdy told the Sunday Mail that merchant fees previously absorbed or passed on now represent an unanticipated extra cost for councils accepting rates and community fees.

Traders along Adelaide’s Gouger Street are voicing concerns that the Adelaide City Council‘s fifteen million dollar revitalisation project will heavily disrupt local dining and reduce parking.

The Adelaide Advertiser reports that some are warning of construction chaos and a loss of outdoor fixtures that they fear will deter customers.

The council says the upgrade has reached the seventy per cent design milestone, and will feature wider footpaths and increased greening alongside asset renewal works.

The City of Onkaparinga has confirmed that non-friable asbestos-containing materials have been identified at the historic Seaford fisherman’s caves.

The Council’s Director of Operations, Matt Buckell, said that while the surrounding beach remains safe for public access, the immediate cave and cliff base areas pose ongoing risks.

Remediation specialists have since cleared visible surface fragments from the site, with the location added to the local authority’s contaminated land register for future monitoring.

The three Southern Fleurieu councils presented a united vision for the region’s future when the South Australian Government’s Country Cabinet visited Victor Harbor last Thursday.

Mayors and CEOs from the City of Victor Harbor, Alexandrina Council and the District Council of Yankalilla met the Premier and Cabinet to discuss projected growth. Under the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan, the region’s population is expected to rise from around 55,000 to between 81,000 and 90,000 by 2051, with about 25,000 additional homes.

The councils welcomed the opportunities that growth could bring, but called for housing to be matched by timely investment in transport, water, wastewater, roads and community facilities.

Western Australia

Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes councillor Simon Robinson has resigned from his position effective immediately, leaving a vacancy on the local authority.

The shire, located south of Bunbury, is currently waiting on advice from the Western Australian Electoral Commission regarding whether an extraordinary election will be called. Cr Robinson’s term is due to expire in 2029.

The City of Stirling is backing Bowls Australia’s 2026 Nationals, which are under way at three of its bowling clubs and run until 23 October.

Mount Lawley, North Beach and Osborne Park are hosting 31 national titles across six championships. The City has contributed a $115,000 sponsorship package and invested $970,000 in upgrades at North Beach and Mount Lawley, with a further $500,000 planned for Osborne Park.

Mayor Mark Irwin said bowls is part of the City’s social fabric, with 10 clubs and almost 6,000 members.

Staying with sport and major events, The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder will remain home to the WA PGA Championship for a further five years.

A new agreement secures the tournament at Kalgoorlie Golf Course through to 2031, extending a partnership that began in 2012 into its 20th year.

Mayor Glenn Wilson said the championship has become an important part of the city’s events calendar, delivering a tourism boost and giving local golfers the chance to watch professionals up close.

This year’s event featured 120 players and wrapped up on Sunday.

International

NZ:

Local Government New Zealand is calling for sweeping electoral reforms, including a return to in-person voting and the introduction of four-year terms.

SCOOP reported that the push is gathering momentum, after a decision by Auckland Council to abandon postal voting due to fraud concerns and declining mail services.

Sector leaders also contend that shifting elections to the Electoral Commission would significantly reduce costs and boost voter participation nationwide.

New Zealand Auditor-General findings show that the government-appointed Commissioners followed an agreed process during the sale of the Tauranga Marine Precinct, concluding no further inquiry is required.

The review has been welcomed by Tauranga City Council Mayor Mahé Drysdale, who noted the current elected Council would likely have structured the commercial deal differently.

While the report confirmed the price was properly accounted for, the watchdog emphasised it makes no judgment on whether the final transaction represented a good deal for local ratepayers.

UK:

Four local members of parliament have condemned social media comments attributed to a councillor belonging to Kirklees Council, according to the BBC.

The joint statement described the remarks as profoundly offensive and incompatible with public office, while party leadership defended the councillor’s intent.

A former leader of Kirklees Council has since called for a vote of no confidence against the local administration’s leadership over the response.

Newly revealed documents published by the Guardian show that Camden Council oversaw an investigation which cleared a nursery worker of misconduct three years before his arrest as a prolific child sex offender.

The local authority has since commissioned an independent safeguarding practice review, with findings expected to be published next year.

Sector professionals are closely watching the case for potential failures in multi-agency safeguarding oversight.

Charnwood Borough Council is moving ahead with a ban on balaclavas and other face coverings in Loughborough town centre, the BBC reports.

The rule would apply £100 penalties to people committing crime or anti-social behaviour, with exemptions for religious, cultural or medical coverings. A 28-day consultation will run, with introduction targeted for early 2027.

An earlier consultation found 93.5 per cent of respondents in support.

Leaders at Gloucestershire County Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council have slammed a government decision to scrap a proposed M5 motorway junction estimated to cost up to 1 billion pounds.

Local officials warned that dropping the infrastructure project is short-sighted and will severely hinder plans to deliver thousands of new homes and regional employment growth.

BBC News reported that the councils were relying on the junction to help deliver 25,000 new homes in the county.