Have your say on proposed legislative reforms to local government in Tasmania

The Tasmanian Liberal Government is delivering on its commitment to strengthen the local government sector as part of the 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future.

Minister for Local Government, Kerry Vincent, has released a discussion paper outlining proposed reforms to the Local Government Act 1993.

The discussion paper will support the delivery of key priorities identified in the Local Government Priority Reform Program 2024-26 announced last month in response to the Future of Local Government Review.

“The Government committed to delivering essential reforms to our sector," he said.

What we want to do now is to ensure the legislative amendments we are bringing in to underpin these reforms are practical and align with the needs of councils and the community.

“Proposed amendments include several important changes to support the sector to deal with recent governance and conduct challenges in the local government sector, with a real focus on early intervention.

“All Tasmanians deserve to thrive and have infrastructure and services that meet their needs, and we recognise that having strong, well-functioning councils is key to that. These proposed reforms are an important step towards achieving these goals."

Consultation on the discussion paper will be open until 21 March 2025, with exposure draft legislation to be released for comment in late May 2025.

For more information and to make a submission, visit the Office of Local Government website.