To assist councils in the delivery of councillor induction and refresher training, the Office of Local Government (OLG) will be holding a series of “Hit the Ground Running” webinars beginning in October 2024 and continuing into early 2025. These webinars will provide councillors with essential information to serve their community and fulfil their civic responsibilities. “Hit the Ground Running” webinars will be held online once a week on Thursdays from 4.00 – 6.00 pm. The webinar on the Governing Body and Financial Management will start at 4.30 pm. Recordings of the webinars will be made available on OLG’s website.

As part of the NSW Vibrancy Reforms, the Office of Local Government (OLG) is developing a mutual recognition framework. This will allow an approval granted to a business under Section 68 of the Local Government Act 1993 by one council to be recognised across multiple local government areas. This will initially apply to approvals granted for the following mobile businesses: o food trucks o market stall holders o buskers o outdoor fitness trainers

The Councillor Conduct Framework is under review with the aim to facilitate and support local decision making. The Councillor conduct and meeting practices – A new framework discussion paper (discussion paper) has been prepared to seek the views of the community, key stakeholders, and the local government sector about the proposed changes.

The Office of Local Government (OLG) has issued a 2024 edition of the Councillor Handbook to assist and inform new and returning councillors in the exercise of their functions. The Councillor Handbook is a “how to” guide to being a councillor and provides comprehensive guidance to councillors on all aspects of their role and responsibilities.

here are several key decisions and activities that need to occur at the first meetings of councils, county councils, and Joint Organisations following the upcoming local government elections and in the 12 months that follow. The Office of Local Government (OLG) has prepared a post-election guide for councils, county councils, and Joint Organisations (Post-Election Guide) to assist them to comply with these requirements.

The Office of Local Government (OLG) has issued a communication toolkit for use by councils ahead of the 2024 local government elections. The Toolkit can be found under ‘Community Resources’ on OLG’s Local Government Elections webpage. The Toolkit has been developed to assist councils communicate with their communities about: The importance of diversity in our councils. The importance of local government and the roles and responsibilities of a councillor

Wednesday, 14 February 2024 has been chosen as the “relevant day” for councils to report on their labour statistics in their annual reports under section 217 of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 (the Regulation).

The Commonwealth Government has announced the advance payment of the preliminary 2024-25 FA Grants will represent approximately 85% of the amount councils are entitled to.

The 2024/25 fees payable for registration and permits for companion animals have been adjusted for inflation under clauses 18 and 27 of the Companion Animals Regulation 2018 (CA Regulation) calculated as prescribed under Schedule 2 of the Regulation using Consumer Price Index (CPI) by the Parliamentary Counsel.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has issued Guidance for councillors on corruption risks associated with overseas travel (ICAC’s Guidance). This can be accessed on the Office of Local Government’s website here and on ICAC’s website. ICAC’s Guidance provides information to help councils understand the corruption, integrity and security risks posed by overseas travel by councillors and to mitigate those risks.