Auditor General’s powers extended to local government a welcome move for industry

The McGowan Labor Government has introduced new legislation into State Parliament that will extend the Auditor General’s powers to audit local Councils and provide independent oversight of the sector.

The decision to extend the powers of the Auditor General to local governments is welcome news for the industry. These changes will mean those councils who fail to meet state legislated mandates will be held accountable.

In the 2016 Benchmarking Local Governments Report, the Property Council determined that only 3 of the 30 participating councils achieved a level considered Best Practise.

The Property Council will raise the issues covered in the Benchmarking Local Governments report with the Auditor General as a matter of urgency and put forward the key recommendations detailed in the report.

We will be calling for:

• a consistent state-wide application of state planning policy requirements in local planning scheme and strategy reviews

• requirements for monitoring and reporting of local planning performance by State and local government