Snowy Valleys Council given support to hold referendum on de-amalgamation

Thursday, 21 August 2025 Residents in Snowy Valleys will have a say about the future of their local government area, with the Minister for Local Government today giving his support for the Council to start preparing for a referendum to...

Council Circular 25-18 Updated Ministerial Guidelines on Alcohol Free Zones

The Ministerial Guidelines on Alcohol-Free Zones (the Guidelines) have been updated following an administrative review.    The revised Guidelines incorporate updates to agency names, agency contact details and International Organization for Standardization references. The list of councils required to consult with the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board (the Board) on alcohol-free zone (AFZ) proposals has been removed from the Guidelines on advice from the Board.  Guidelines headings and public notification requirements have been updated to align with the Local Government Act 1993 (LG Act) and contemporary publication practices. The Alcohol-Free Zones and Alcohol Prohibited Areas in NSW Fact Sheet (Fact Sheet) has also been updated to reflect the minor changes to the Guidelines.

Council Circular 25-17 Quarterly Budget Review Statement Guidelines

To ensure councillors have effective oversight and are in control of the financial performance of their council, the Office of Local Government (OLG) has revised the Quarterly Budget Review Statement Guidelines for Local Government (the Guidelines). The Guidelines outline the purpose and value of effective financial reporting, highlight roles and responsibilities, and establish standardised Quarterly Budget Review Statement (QBRS) reporting templates. The Guidelines also introduce a QBRS overview and reporting of council income and expenditure based on fund.

Council Circular 25-16 End of Year Reporting Requirements

End of year reporting information for the 2024-25 financial year Updated Financial Data Return (FDR) for 2024-25 financial year Updated Annual Report checklist for 2024-25 financial year Calendar of Compliance for 2025-26 financial year Local Government Grants Commission annual returns

Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council gets Minister’s support to prepare for a demerger

Thursday, 17 July 2025 The Minister for Local Government has today announced that the demerger of Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council into two separate councils is to proceed. On 3 October 2023, the Minister announced his support to split Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council...

Council Circular 25-15 Annual Reporting of Labour Statistics

Circular Details25-15/ 17 July 2025 / A968418Previous Circular24-13 Annual Reporting of Labour StatisticsWho should read thisCouncillors / General Managers / Human ResourcesContactCouncil Governance Team / 02 4428 4100 / olg@olg.nsw.gov.auAction requiredCouncil to ImplementPDF Version25-15 Annual Reporting of Labour Statistics What’s...

Nominations open to celebrate women in local government

Tuesday, 8 July 2025 The NSW Government is encouraging nominations for the 2025 Ministers’ Awards for Women in Local Government, which recognise the achievements of talented and inspirational women in councils across NSW. The 18th annual Awards will be presented...

Council Circular 25-14 Publication of the updated Local Government Filming Protocol

The Local Government Filming Protocol (Protocol) has been updated replacing the 2009 version. The Protocol is issued under Section 119D of the Local Government Act 1993 and sets out requirements for both councils and filmmakers associated with filming related activity approvals. The Protocol also prescribes filming related fees and forms and provides guidance relevant to filming activities.

Council Circular – GC154 – 2025-26 Financial Assistance Grants (FA Grants) – Advance Payment

The Commonwealth Government has announced an advance payment of the preliminary FY 2025-26 Financial Assistance (FA) Grants, representing approximately 50% of the amount councils are entitled to. Further adjustments to the remaining payment will take into account: - the determination by the Commonwealth - Treasurer of the final adjustments for FY 2024-25 - the Local Government Grants Commission’s (the Commission) final recommendations for FY 2025-26

Building Better Communities for NSW

Tuesday, 24 June 2025 The Minns Labor Government is building better communities by investing in a vibrant arts and cultural scene, safer and more accessible public spaces and supporting the work of community organisations. Supporting the Arts, Sports and CultureSydney...