Insights Report

Following extensive consultation with the sector, the Local Government Culture Project has produced an Insights Report.

This report reflects the feedback received through the Discussion Paper process and identifies nine key issues that influence council culture and councillor conduct.

The Insights Report is available here

The Insights Report Executive Summary is available here

The Insights Report has been released to the sector and it is hoped that councils and peak bodies play a lead role in drawing from it to drive collaborative, long-term change.

Local Government Victoria (LGV) looks forward to working with the sector to ensure local government is an inclusive and safe place to work and that councils are serving in their communities’ best interests.

BACKGROUND

It is important that local governments reflect the communities they serve. An inclusive, safe and sustainable local government culture is in everyone’s best interests.

The Local Government Culture Project was designed to understand the factors influencing culture and conduct within local government and identify opportunities and initiatives to improve culture and conduct.

Another objective was to make local government a safer space for women and to encourage more women to nominate for council elections, as the Government aims to reach gender parity in local councils by 2025.

Local Government Victoria engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting (PwC) to undertake the Project, with eminent academics:

  • Professor Graham Sansom, Adjunct Professor at University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
  • Professor Anona Armstrong AM, Emeritus Professor at the Victoria University College of Law and Justice
  • Dr Yongqiang Li, Senior Lecturer in Law at Victoria University and Australian Principal Lawyer.

The project produced a Discussion Paper last year based on academic reviews and targeted consultation.

The Discussion Paper was then open to feedback from 17 December 2021 to 28 February 2022.

Local Government Culture Project - Discussion paper

Submissions are now closed.

142 submissions were received on the Discussion Paper from peak bodies, Councils, Mayors, Councillors, CEOs, Council staff, former Councillors, other organisations and members of the public.

PwC’s Insights Report was based on the feedback in these submissions.