About Council
About Local Government
In Australia there are three levels of government - federal, state and local.
The Federal government is also known as the Commonwealth. Its role is to decide on matters that affect the whole country such as foreign affairs, defence and immigration.
Each state has its own State government that is responsible for issues such as education, health, police, main roads and railways.
Local government is mainly concerned with matters of local significance such as local roads, garbage collection and recycling, parks, building applications, childcare centres, libraries, school holiday activities, immunisation, youth services and the local environment.
Each local government area (LGA) is governed by its own local council. There are 152 councils in New South Wales. The leader of the council is called the Mayor.
How does local government work?
The powers and responsibilities of councils are laid down by the Local Government Act 1993 a framework that is administered by the Minister for Local Government through the Department of Local Government .
The Act details a set of principles that councils must adhere to when carrying out their functions. It sets out how councils should be administered, how their finances should be organised, the procedures that should be used for levying and charging rates, what rules should be used for holding elections, how council meetings should be conducted and many other issues.
Other state authorities such as the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources and the Roads and Traffic Authority may also influence the workings of local councils.
There are also a number of others acts such as the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, the Roads Act and the Rural Fires Act that confer responsibilities and obligations on councils. These Acts are all accessible from the Australian Legal Information Institute website.
All local Councils have the same basic powers and responsibilities, however their structures and the types of service they provide vary according to local requirements.
How is the council elected?
Council elections in NSW are held every four years in September. If you live in, or own property in an area you are entitled to vote in the local elections.
Ku-ring-gai Council is comprised of ten elected Councillors. Ku-ring-gai is divided into five different areas called Wards, and there are two Councillors elected from each ward. The five wards are St Ives, Roseville, Gordon, Comenarra and Wahroonga.
The Mayor is elected each year by the Councillors rather than being popularly elected by the community, as can occur in some other councils.
The role of a Councillor is to represent the interests of residents and rate payers in their ward and to provide leadership and guidance in the community. Councillors are not paid a salary and most have full time jobs. However, they do receive an allowance to help cover expenses.
The Mayor has additional responsibilities to Councillors such as chairing meetings and carrying out the civic and ceremonial functions of council.
Councils employ staff to help carry out the business of the council. Ku-ring-gai Council has approximately 500 staff. The person in charge of the day to day running of the council is called the General Manager.
Other staff employed by councils include librarians, engineers, garbage collectors, childcare workers, gardeners, accountants, computer operators and road workers.
Local government information for schools
Council runs a school visits program for students from local primary schools. Classes visit the Council Chambers to learn about how councils work and to participate in a mock council debate. For more information or to book a school visit call Corporate Communications on 9424 0726.
For more detailed information on local government contact Local Government and Shires Association on 9242 4000.