Local Government Electoral Review (2014)

In 2013-14, the independent Local Government Electoral Review Panel carried out a comprehensive review of Victoria's local government electoral system.

The panel made 55 recommendations for reform.

Stages 1 and 2

The panel's Stage 1 report examined the electoral process, participation and integrity.

The panel's Stage 2 report looked at electoral representation.

Panel consultation

As part of its public consultation, the Local Government Electoral Review Panel held public hearings across Victoria and invited written submissions.

Read the panel's announcement of the public consultation DOC, 47.5 KB

Discussion paper

The panel issued a discussion paper to stimulate ideas on how local government democracy can best work.

Erratum: the Victorian Electoral Commission has re-issued data used in the original version of the discussion paper. LGV has updated the online version of the discussion paper to reflect these changes, including Table 6: Voter turnout at postal elections in 2012 and Table 7: Ratio of candidates to vacancies in attendance voting councils.

Visit the Victorian Electoral Commission website

Terms of Reference

The panel's Terms of Reference were:

  1. Electoral process
  2. Participation
  3. Integrity
  4. Electoral representation.

Terms of Reference PDF, 60.74 KB

Terms of Reference DOC, 124.5 KB

Panel members

The Local Government Electoral Review Panel members were:

  • Petro Georgiou AO – Chair (former Federal Member for Kooyong and Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters)
  • Sally Davis (former manager of the Australian Electoral Commission's Melbourne Electoral Education Centre)
  • Anne Murphy OAM (former President of the Municipal Association of Victoria).

Anne Murphy, Petro Georgiou, Sally Davis

Council sector reports

Local Government Victoria key financial data flyers

Local Government Victoria publishes flyers on an annual basis to present current key financial data. The following have been produced for the 2016-17 financial year:

Local Government in Victoria Indicators report

Publication of the Local Government in Victoria report ceased in 2010. However, LGV continues to collect and publish the source data from councils.

Collection of the local government indicators has been superseded by the mandatory Local Government Performance Reporting Framework in 2015.

2005-2015 is the last data release in this series:

Local Government Indicators Source Data 2005 – 2015 XLSX, 337.18 KB

2010 – 2001 Local Government in Victoria reports

Local Government in Victoria reports from 2001-2010 bring together information from councils' annual reports to provide a snapshot of council performance. Each year's report is presented in two parts:

  1. Primary report - analysis of council performance against key indicators, case studies of good practice and an overview of initiatives to support councils in their financial, asset management and performance measurement work
  2. Source data and definitions - time series data for each council across eleven performance indicators.

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

Local Government Reform

Local Government Reform Strategy 2013-14

Following the success of the projects under the Local Government Reform Fund (LGRF), reallocation of funding from the Sustainability Fund enabled further projects to be undertaken.

There were six council groups that received a combined total of $400,000 to complete the following projects.

  • Golden Plains, Pyrenees and Hepburn shires' joint feasibility study for the conversion of heavy fleet to biodiesel determined that each council would be able to reduce heavy vehicle emissions by around 170 tonnes by working together.
  • Banyule, Boroondara, Knox, Maroondah, Monash, Whitehorse, Nillumbik, Yarra Ranges and Manningham councils identified joint opportunities in tree pruning and line marking.
  • Kingston, Bayside and Glen Eira reviewed their major parks services to improve contract management and make budget savings.
  • Buloke, Campaspe, Central Goldfields, Gannawarra, and Loddon shires appointed a single WorkCover agent, attracting a strong field that resulted in highly competitive bids for better services.
  • Northern Grampians, Horsham, West Wimmera, Hindmarsh and Yarriambiack shires reduced costs through a joint bituminous road resealing contract.
  • Alpine, Indigo, Towong and Wangaratta worked together to identify shared services opportunities, prompted by Towong's successful rates delivery program on behalf of Indigo.

To see these projects, visit Collaborating Councils.

Local Government Reform Strategy (LGRF) 2011-13

The LGRF invested $1.5m in local government reform under the theme of 'Aligning Capacity, Strategy and Sustainable Outcomes'. The program helped councils to improve their financial and resource management capabilities and business practices.

The LGRF program:

  • supported the continuation of the reform agenda across local government
  • addressed known shortages and capacity challenges in rural and regional councils
  • engendered collaboration between councils in achieving delivery of community outcomes
  • surpassed existing compliance requirements and practices to strengthen transparent and strategic decision making in councils
  • developed of a toolkit for collaborative procurement (see below)
  • created understanding of the limitations of shared service activities
  • enabled projects to be duplicated across the state
  • built capacity within councils for future sustainable outcomes.

Outcomes of the Local Government Reform funding include:

  • development of a toolkit for collaborative procurement
  • enabling projects to be duplicated across the state
  • collaborative approach across several councils to achieve combined cost savings
  • take-up of best value practices in councils
  • recognising the benefits of council collaboration
  • understanding the limitations of shared services activities.