- Recordings of all council meetings to be
published online, including mandatory livestreaming for all larger local
governments - improving public access and transparency
- Reforms to cut accounting red tape and reduce costs
for ratepayers
- Supporting local council members to undertake
further education and training
The Cook Government
continues to progress the most substantial local government reforms in more
than 25 years, through new regulations published today.
These regulations
continue the delivery of reforms legislated by the Western Australian
Parliament earlier this year, and follow major changes to council elections
that are already in effect.
All larger local
governments will now be required, by law, to livestream council meetings, and
to place video recordings online. Smaller local governments are required, at a
minimum, to publish audio recordings of meetings.
While many local
governments have already made this change, a transition-in period will run until
1 January 2025 to allow the very few last remaining councils to
install suitable audiovisual equipment. The regulations require local
governments to keep recordings online for a period of at least five years.
These regulations also
contain further measures to simplify financial reporting, to cut red tape and reduce
complexity. Changes to the regulations regarding the valuation of infrastructure
assets (such as local roads, bridges, and council buildings) will clarify that,
in most cases, local governments will only need to determine the accounting
value of the asset every five years, rather than every year.
This new measure is
expected to substantially streamline the annual reporting process for local
governments. This reform also follows the recent standardisation of financial
statements, which has already simplified the reporting process for the
2022-2023 financial year, reducing the costs paid by ratepayers.
New regulations will also
enable local governments to reimburse the education expenses of council members
for any course that is relevant to their role as a council member. Local
governments will now be able to establish a policy for how the costs of
relevant further education - such as fees for short courses - may be reimbursed
to council members.
The regulations allow for
flexibility, so that courses for any topic areas relevant to a local government
may be paid by the local government in line with its policies. This landmark
reform is expected to support a broader range of people to serve on council, and
ensure that council members can continue to develop their skills and knowledge
while serving in public office.
The new regulations also
include measures to stamp out the use of "sham leases", based on the
recommendations of the City of Perth Inquiry. These regulations introduce new
minimum standards for the eligibility of occupiers of properties to enrol or
nominate in local government elections.
These changes are aimed at
preventing the creation of fraudulent leases by people who would not otherwise be
an elector of a local government - ensuring that only people with a legitimate
interest in a local area can participate in council elections. These changes
will transition in ahead of the next local government ordinary elections in
2025.
Work on the delivery of
further reforms, including the new Local Government Inspector and Monitors, is
also continuing in close consultation with the local government sector.
Comments attributed to
Local Government Minister David Michael:
"Ratepayers want to have
a clear view into their local council meetings. We have seen how the
livestreaming and broadcasting of council meetings has increased public access
and awareness about how decisions are made at councils.
"Livestreaming became the
standard for many local governments during the pandemic. Livestreaming and
recording make it easy for anyone to listen into their local council meetings.
"Allowing local
governments to reimburse the costs for council members who want to pursue
further study relevant to their role on council is a landmark change. This is
an investment in ensuring that council members can, if they wish to, learn and
investigate more about the issues that the local government must contend with
in serving their community.
"The changes to owner and
occupier eligibility ensure fairness in the local government electoral roll.
"I deeply appreciate the
involvement of the WA Local Government Association and LG Professionals in
working with the State Government to get the details in these reforms right.
"Having the support of
the sector has ensured that we have been able to continue to introduce reforms
smoothly, supporting local government across the State to bring in changes that
are delivering results for ratepayers."
