Fact sheets and report summaries

The Local Government Act 2020 gives us a range of powers to allow us to conduct investigations into council matters.

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Local Government Inspectorate powers

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A person has a conflict of interest if they – or a person or entity they are close to – could benefit or be seen to benefit from a decision or action they could make in their official capacity.

The conflict of interests requirements outlined in this fact sheet are set out in the Local Government Act 2020 and Local Government (Governance and Integrity) Regulations 2020.

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Conflict of interest for councillors

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Councillors and other relevant people in local government must, by law, declare their personal interests. A summary of these interests must be available on each council’s website.

Declaring personal interests is done so the public can see the shareholdings, trusts, business associations or other private interests of the people making decisions at councils. It is one way to ensure councillors and other key people are transparently acting in an impartial manner for the benefit of the community and not for personal gain.

The Local Government Inspectorate can prosecute those who do not declare their personal interests.

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Personal interests returns fact sheet

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This fact sheet considers the standing down of a councillor by the Minister for Local Government or the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

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Standing down a councillor

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This fact sheet tells you what you need to do if we ask to interview you as a witness because you hold information relevant to a matter we are investigating.

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Interviews: Information for witnesses 

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This fact sheet tells you what you need to know if we believe you may have committed a breach of the Local Government Act 2020 and we invite you to attend an interview.

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Interviews: Information for persons of interest

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The Local Government Inspectorate conducts governance examinations of Victorian local councils to assess compliance with the Local Government Act 2020 and make recommendations for future improvements.

This program aims to give councils tools to improve compliance, transparency and develop best-practice processes.

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Governance examinations

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Election candidates are required under Victorian law to provide campaign donation returns. All candidates in Victorian local government elections must submit a return within 40 days of election day.

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Campaign donation returns fact sheet

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This fact sheet tells you what a public interest disclosure is, how to make one when you submit a complaint to us and how they are assessed.

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Public interest disclosures

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We regularly refer complaints to – and receive referrals from – other integrity agencies and in 2018, developed this flowchart to help explain what IBAC, Victorian Ombudsman and the Inspectorate do and how to complain directly to each agency. This will be updated in 2022 to incorporate legislative changes and changed areas of responsibility.

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Local council complaints: If something is not right, who do I complain to?

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In preparation for the new Local Government Act 2020, we embarked on a wide-ranging review of personal interest declarations of Victorian councillors. The review covered 650 councillors at 78 councils between October 2016 and February 2020.

Our aim was to see if councillors were complying with the rules under the Local Government Act 1989 and identify ways to improve compliance. During the review, we also advised Local Government Victoria about our findings in a bid to improve the legislation.

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Summary: Personal interests returns report

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Once every four years, Victoria holds its general council elections. This is generally a vibrant time for local government in Victoria but the pandemic and the resulting restrictions on movement created unprecedented conditions.

As the dedicated integrity agency for councils, we oversight councils, councillors, candidates and voters pursuant to the electoral provisions of the Local Government Act 2020. Accordingly, the year leading up to the elections, and particularly the four-week election period, is a busy period for the Local Government Inspectorate.

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Summary: Social media fuels rise in complaints during 2020 council elections

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Council CEOs are, by virtue of leading a public entity, visible and accessible with high levels of accountability to elected councillors, the community and the council as a business.

Our report, Protecting integrity: leading the way – Managing the employment cycle of a council CEO includes views from across the sector and recommendations for improvements to legislation, policies or processes that would enhance future management of the CEO employment cycle.

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Protecting integrity: Leading the way – Managing the employment cycle of a council CEO

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Councillor expenses and claims for reimbursement often attract public attention. Councils are largely publicly funded, so their systems for managing expenditure are subject to scrutiny. The integrity and transparency of those systems are critical for maintaining public confidence in local government.

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