Leslie Massey
Australia has a three-tier system of government, with local government being the most basic unit. Local government in Australia is not mentioned in the Constitution of Australia and is not recognised as a separate level of government. Instead, it exists under the laws of state governments, which dictate their role, powers, size and electoral rules. There are 537 councils Australia-wide, with about 5670 councillors across more than 400 occupations.
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What You'll Learn
Local government workforce and gender equality
Australia has 537 councils spread across the country, with about 55% of them in regional, rural, or remote areas. Local governments employ nearly 10% of the total public sector, with around 190,800 people working in over 400 occupations.
The local government workforce in Australia consists of around 5670 councillors, with women accounting for about 38% of them. However, the gender breakdown of the entire local government workforce is nearly equal, with 50.9% male and 49.1% female.
The Australian government has introduced several initiatives to promote gender equality in the workplace. These include mandatory reporting on gender equality, publishing gender pay gaps, and implementing the APS Gender Equality Strategy 2021-26. The Workplace Gender Equality Act of 2012 led to the creation of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), which is responsible for promoting and improving gender equality in Australian workplaces.
Victoria leads the country in terms of the proportion of female councillors, with 43.8% representation as of the October 2020 council elections. This success can be attributed to the Victorian Government's targets for government board appointments, which require 50% of new appointments to be women. This framework reflects research demonstrating that targets and quotas for women in leadership accelerate their representation in organisations.
Despite progress in some areas, there are still challenges to achieving gender equality in the local government workforce. For example, Indigenous representation in local governance remains low. In Brewarrina Shire, New South Wales, there is only one Indigenous councillor despite a 60% Indigenous population. Additionally, nine out of ten councils in Australia face skills and job shortages, impacting productivity and making it challenging to compete with the private sector and other government levels in terms of remuneration.
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Local government and Indigenous representation
Australia has a total of 537 councils spread across the country, with around 5670 councillors. Local government in Australia employs nearly 190,800 people across more than 400 occupations, accounting for nearly 10% of the total public sector workforce.
Local government in Australia is not mentioned in the federal constitution, but it is included in the constitutions of each of the six states. Local governments are, therefore, not a separate level of government but exist due to local government acts created by state governments, which dictate their roles, powers, size, and electoral rules. Local councils are designated as "Shire", "Borough", "Town", or "City", but they all have similar administrative functions and political structures.
In terms of Indigenous representation, local governance in Australia falls short of being representative. For example, in Brewarrina Shire, north-western New South Wales, the population is 60% Indigenous, but there is only one Indigenous councillor.
There have been efforts to increase diversity and representation in local governments. Following the 2020 council elections, Victoria led the country in the proportion of female councillors, with 43.8% representation. This is a significant increase from the previous high of 38%. New South Wales has also shown progress in diversifying its councils, with an increase in the number of female councillors.
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Local government and data privacy
Australia has a three-tier system of government, with local government being the most basic unit. There are 537 councils across Australia, with about 5670 councillors. Local government employs nearly 190,800 people across more than 400 occupations, accounting for nearly 10% of the total public sector.
Local government in Australia is unique in that it is not mentioned in the Constitution of Australia. Instead, it is dictated by local government acts created by state governments, which determine their roles, powers, size, and electoral rules. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is an exception, as it has no separate local government. The territory-wide government of the ACT handles matters that would typically be the responsibility of state and local governments.
While local governments in Australia have varying designations, such as "Shire," "Borough," "Town," or "City," they generally have the same administrative functions and political structures. Their territory of public administration is referred to as the local government area or LGA.
Local governments in Australia are responsible for various services, including managing local roads, community infrastructure, and, in some states, water and sewerage. They also collect rates and taxes, with local government tax revenue increasing by 2.6% to $20 billion in 2020-21.
When it comes to data privacy, the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) is the primary legislation in Australia that governs the handling of personal information. This includes the collection, use, storage, and disclosure of personal data in both the federal public sector and the private sector. The Privacy Act provides 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) that apply to government agencies and private sector organisations with an annual turnover of $3 million or more. These principles are designed to protect privacy while providing flexibility to organisations in handling personal information.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) is responsible for investigating breaches of the APPs and enforcing compliance with the Privacy Act. In recent years, there have been amendments to the Privacy Act to enhance data protection, including increased penalties for breaches and improved information-sharing powers for the OAIC.
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Local government and funding
Local government in Australia is not mentioned in the Constitution of Australia, and two referendums in 1974 and 1988 to alter the Constitution relating to local government were unsuccessful. However, local government is mentioned in the annotated Australian Constitution, as well as in the constitutions of each of the six states. Under the Constitution, the federal government cannot provide funding directly to local governments.
Local government nationally employs just under 190,800 Australians, with around 5670 elected councillors across the country. Local government revenue from rates in 2020-21 was about $20 billion, and the total annual expenditure in the same year was approximately $43.1 billion, representing a 10.72% increase since 2018-19. Local government non-financial assets, including roads, community infrastructure, buildings, facilities, airports, water, and sewerage (in some states) including land, were valued at $500.8 billion in 2020-21.
The three highest levels of local government expenditure in 2020-21 were:
- $6.85 billion on Recreation, Culture, and Religion.
- $591.6 million in Roads to Recovery funding.
- $19 billion in rates.
The Australian government provides financial assistance grants to local governments under the Local Government (Financial Assistance) Act 1995. Federal Financial Assistance Grants to councils have slipped from 1% of Commonwealth taxation revenue in 1996 to just 0.52% today.
Funding is also available for specific projects, such as grants for small businesses, COVID-19 support packages, and funding for decarbonization projects in high-emitting manufacturing and mining facilities.
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Local government and the Australian Capital Territory
Australia has 537 councils spread across the country, with about 55% of them located in regional, rural, or remote areas. Local government is the third level of government in Australia, with very limited legislative powers and no judicial powers. It is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state or territory it belongs to. Local government authorities across the country have similar functions and powers, but their official designations vary in different states.
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) does not have a separate local government. Instead, the ACT territorial government handles the functions that would usually be managed by local government. The ACT is governed according to the principles of the Westminster System, a form of parliamentary government based on the model of the United Kingdom. Legislative power rests with the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, which has governed the territory since 1988. Executive power rests formally with the executive, which consists of the chief minister and ministers, and is informally called the Cabinet. The current Chief Minister is Andrew Barr, the leader of the Labor Party. The ACT Government is served by a unified ACT Public Service agency, reporting to a single Head of Service.
The ACT has a locally elected legislative assembly, but the Commonwealth maintains authority over the territory and may disallow or overturn local laws. The Commonwealth also maintains control over the area known as the Parliamentary Triangle through the National Capital Authority. Residents of the territory elect three members of the House of Representatives and, together with residents of the Jervis Bay Territory, elect two senators.
The ACT Government operates the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), which is the territory's vocational educational provider. The Cultural Facilities Corporation manages the Canberra Theatre Centre and the Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG). EvoEnergy owns and operates the electricity and gas networks in the ACT and surrounding areas. Icon Water Limited provides drinking water and wastewater services to the ACT and surrounding regions. The ACT Audit Office is responsible for auditing all ACT public sector agencies, and the ACT Electoral Commission conducts elections and referendums for the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly.
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Frequently asked questions
As of August 2016, there were 547 local councils in Australia. However, other sources state that there are 537 councils Australia-wide.
Local government councils in Australia are responsible for a variety of functions, including the maintenance of databases containing personal data about residents of the area. This includes a register of properties and their owners, a register of development and building applications, a register of voters, and a register of animals, particularly dogs. Local government is also responsible for services such as garbage collection, road construction and maintenance, and community infrastructure such as buildings and facilities.
The local government in Australia employs around 190,800 people across more than 400 occupations, including councillors, mayors or shire presidents, and various administrative and support staff.
