Complaint statistics for the July 2021 to June 2022 comparison against the July 2020 to June 2021 period.
It is important to note that the number of complaints is not an accurate indicator of the seriousness of the matters raised, nor does it accurately reflect matters where the council or individual councillors may be the subject of campaigns, usually about a single controversial issue.
Where there is no evidence of serious misconduct or maladministration on the council’s part and the issues relate more to concerns about the merits of a particular decision, the Office of Local Government (OLG) generally will not investigate such issues provided the council’s decision is lawful and proper processes are followed.
The Local Government Act 1993 allows councils a significant degree of autonomy in their day-to-day activities. Under the legislation, neither the Minister for Local Government nor OLG has the power to intervene in the day-to-day operations of councils.
July 2021 to June 2022 NSW report
Below is a chart showing details of the complaints received by OLG about councils during the July 2021 to June 2022 period by subject.
OLG received 1396 complaints in 2021-22, compared to 1543 in 2020-21. These complaints were spread over 126 councils. The total number of complaints received this year represents a decrease but is a consistent number against complaints received in previous years.
Councillor misconduct
Pecuniary interest complaints
In 2021-22 OLG received 35 allegations of breaches of the pecuniary interest provisions of Councils’ codes of conduct. There was no formal investigation of a pecuniary interest matter in this period.
Other councillor misconduct complaints
In 2021-22 OLG received 26 complaints alleging misconduct (other than that relating to pecuniary interest matters) by councils.
Six investigations were commenced under the misconduct provisions during this period.
The Executive Director determined one misconduct matter during 2021-22, where it was determined to counsel the Councillor on failure to declare and properly manage a non-pecuniary conflict of interest.
Political donation complaints
No complaints alleging a breach of the political donation provisions were received in this period.
S430 Investigations
Details of previous S430 Investigations can be found on the OLG website at the following location:
Public inquiries
One public inquiry into Central Coast Council was finalised in 2021-22. This resulted in the dismissal of the elected councillors and appointment of an administrator until the council elections to be held in 2024.
Details can be found on the OLG website at the following location: https://www.olg.nsw.gov.au/public-inquiries.