Attention: NSW Caretaker Period has commenced
The caretaker period for the NSW Election commenced on 3 March 2023.
Accordingly, no ministerial press releases or related information issued by the Government from this date will be available in this website. For copies of recently issued ministerial press releases of information on the election policies of any political party, as they relate to the department/agency or its portfolio area, please go directly to the website of the relevant political party.

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Senior staff employment – discussion paper

The Office of Local Government has issued a discussion paper on the employment of senior staff of councils and is seeking comment on whether the Local Government Act 1993 should be amended to provide that all council staff, (including senior executives), other than the general manager, should be employed under the Local Government (State) Award.

New Guidelines for Risk Management and Internal Audit for Local Government in NSW released

The new Guidelines for Risk Management and Internal Audit for Local Government in NSW have been released in draft format to assist councils and joint organisations to commence work on implementing them pending the making of the supporting regulations in early 2023. Councils will be required to comply with the new Guidelines from 1 July 2024.

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Public Consultation – Your Opinion Counts

  • The Office of Local Government welcomes feedback from councils and members of the community.
  • If you are interested in providing feedback on other community consultations taking place throughout New South Wales, you can click here to visit the NSW Government Have Your Say website. This website contains a searchable database of community consultations taking place. You can find out what is happening in your community and share your opinions on new projects, services and government policy.

Supporting and Advising Councils

An effective and robust governance framework is essential to the successful performance of a council. The Office of Local Government seeks to promote and support effective internal governance in councils through:

  • The prescription of frameworks (such as the Mode Code of Conduct) and appropriate standards, along with the provision of mechanisms to enforce compliance with those standards
  • The provision of guidance, advice and support to assist councils to comply with appropriate standards of internal governance
  • Monitoring and reporting on the performance of councils
  • Working with councils that fail to comply with the appropriate standards of governance to improve their performance
  • Taking compliance action where councils breach their obligations or betray the trust of their communities.

Infrastructure Renewal

The NSW Government is committed to encouraging councils to focus on the renewal and management of their assets and provide local communities with the key infrastructure they need and deserve. Through various programs and initiatives, the Government has assisted local councils in NSW to reduce the infrastructure backlog from $7.5 billion in 2010-11 to $3.8 billion in 2018-19.

Joint Organisations

NSW boasts a network of 13 joint organisations to strengthen collaboration and engagement between State and local governments and improve infrastructure and service delivery to regional communities.

Eighty-seven councils in regional NSW are members of the 13 joint organisations: Canberra Region, Central NSW, Far North West, Far South West, Hunter, Illawarra Shoalhaven, Mid North Coast, Namoi, New England, Northern Rivers, Orana, Riverina and Murray, and Riverina.

Each Joint organisation comprises member councils, State agencies and other key stakeholders as determined by each joint organisation board.