Our audit program aims to:
- promote an effective, voluntary compliance culture
- encourage good practice
- achieve transparent governance across local government
To support this, we’ve collected examples of best practice policies from our compliance audits. The information below has been shared with the permission of the relevant council.
These governance arrangements are required as part of the Local Government .
Policies
-
All Victorian councils have to meet statutory obligations on a regular basis, including lodgement of interest returns and policy reviews. Many councils use calendars, often referred to as governance schedules, to ensure key deadlines are met.
Policy and legislative changes have also encouraged councils to update or improve their expense reimbursement procedures.
Strathbogie Council statutory obligations and policy databaseProcessing of Councillor Expense ReimbursementsHobsons Bay Council Statutory Obligations Template - 2018 -
Election period policies ensure councils are transparent and accountable during the election process. The policy outlines how they will:
- ensure fairness
- avoid misuse of council resources
- prevent inappropriate decision making
Following changes to the Local Government Act we reviewed election period policies of all Victorian councils (excluding the City of Greater Geelong). We’ve included policies that exceeded requirements.
Boroondara City Council
Boroondara City Council Election Period Policy - March 2016Boroondara City Council Election Period Policy - March 2016Brimbank City Council
Brimbank City Council Councillor Code of Conduct - April 2016Brimbank City Council Conduct During Elections - 2016City of Greater Dandenong
City of Greater Dandenong Election Period During Caretaker Policy - 2016City of Greater Dandenong Election Period During Caretaker Policy - 2016West Wimmera Shire Council
West Wimmera Shire Council Election Period Policy - March 2016West Wimmera Shire Council Election Period Policy - March 2016City of Whitehorse
City of Whitehorse Election Period Policy - March 2016City of Whitehorse Election Period Policy - March 2016 -
All incoming councillors must read their council’s code of conduct and make a declaration that they will abide by it. Find best practice examples of Councillors Code of Conduct policies.
City of Greater Dandenong
City of Greater Dandenong Code of Conduct Councillors - 2016City of Greater Dandenong Code of Conduct Councillors - 2016Indigo Shire Council
Indigo Shire Council Councillor Code of Conduct - June 2016Indigo Shire Council Councillor Code of Conduct - June 2016Stonnington City Council
City of Stonnington Councillor Code of Conduct - June 2016City of Stonnington Councillor Code of Conduct - June 2016Warrnambool City Council
Warrnambool City Council Code of Conduct - July 2016Warrnambool City Council Code of Conduct - July 2016Whitehorse City Council
City of Whitehorse Councillor Code of Conduct - June 2016City of Whitehorse Councillor Code of Conduct - June 2016West Wimmera Shire Council
West Wimmera Shire Council Councillor Code of Conduct - 2016West Wimmera Shire Council Councillor Code of Conduct - 2016 -
Aligned with the Code of Conduct requirements, many councils have also updated or developed policies on councillor-staff interactions.
Wyndham City Councillor Staff Interaction and Email Policy - 2014
Reviewed 26 August 2020