Sunday 1 September 2024 marks the 15-year anniversary of the LGI’s inception.
The Local Government Inspectorate plays a vital role in the Victorian integrity landscape as the agency with primacy oversight of the local government sector.
The Inspectorate was created to provide local government in Victoria with a dedicated agency to reflect the importance of community confidence in their councils.
Staff at the Inspectorate take immense pride in the work they do to improve the local government sector by undertaking thorough investigations of complaints and providing outcomes which reflect the provisions of the Local Government Act.
Over the past 15 years, the Inspectorate has handled:
- Close to 12,000 complaints and allegations
- 65 prosecutions
- 120 audits and examinations
The Inspectorate has also visited all 79 Victorian councils.
Major achievements to date include:
- Informing policy and legislative reform
- Delivering recommendations to improve council operations and integrity
- Recommending municipal monitors be appointed at councils to assist in improving governance
- Undertaking presentations to councils and peak bodies
- Playing a key role in assessing and investigating breaches of the electoral provisions of the Local Government Act at council elections
The Inspectorate has built networks within the sector and developed strong collaborative relationships with other Victorian integrity agencies such as IBAC, Victorian Ombudsman and the Victorian Auditor-General's Office.
The Inspectorate is looking forward to the future with new councillors commencing following the 2024 local government elections, new provisions in the Local Government Act that will allow it to undertake its role better and, with those changes, provide guidance and assistance to the sector to improve integrity and good governance in the sector.
Commenting on the milestone, David Walker, Team Manager Investigations (and longest-serving staffer at the Inspectorate) said, “The last fifteen years have been an interesting journey into a misunderstood tier of government.
“The work that has been done by the Inspectorate to date is very important and has certainly assisted councils to improve their governance and compliance with the Act.”
Updated