Department ofLocal Government, Water and Volunteers

Local Government (Empowering Councils) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025

On 20 November 2025, the Honourable Ann Leahy MP, Minister for Local Government and Water and Minister for Fire, Disaster Recovery and Volunteers introduced the Local Government (Empowering Councils) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 (the Bill) into the Queensland Parliament.

The Bill proposes amendments to the City of Brisbane Act 2010, Local Government Act 2009,
Local Government Electoral Act 2011, City of Brisbane Regulation 2012 and Local Government Regulation 2012 to:

  • empower councils
  • empower mayors
  • improve and simplify the councillor conflicts of interest and register of interests framework
  • reduce red tape and unnecessary regulation
  • provide certainty to councillors about matters relating to remuneration, leaves of absence, vacancy and eligibility
  • promote good governance and decision-making
  • enhance safeguards for local government election candidates and participants
  • make minor, administrative and technical amendments.

The Bill was referred to the Parliamentary Local Government, Small Business and Customer Service Committee (the Committee) for review. Further information is available on the Committee’s webpage.

Background

The Bill is the first phase of legislative reform to re-empower Queensland’s local governments by reducing red tape and giving councils the resources and legislative framework they need to deliver for their communities.

The amendments in the Bill include addressing issues highlighted for early resolution by the local government sector.

Future reforms will be informed by the Local Government Red Tape Reduction Taskforce, Local Government Depreciation Review, the Review of the Local Government Electoral Expenditure Caps Scheme and the Parliamentary Review of the councillor conduct framework, including the Office of the Independent Assessor and Councillor Conduct Tribunal.

Consultation

During the development of the legislation the Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers consulted with stakeholders including Brisbane City Council, Electoral Commission of Queensland, Local Government Association of Queensland, Local Government Managers Australia and the Office of the Independent Assessor.

Key reforms

The Bill proposes several key reforms:

Empower councils

  • Re-empower councillors to appoint senior executive employees (via appointment panels) and Brisbane City Council councillors to appoint senior contract employees.
  • Clarify rating powers for Indigenous local governments, including providing a framework to enable them to rate in the future.
  • Amendments to section 143 of the Local Government Act 2009 to facilitate local government access to essential State-owned quarry material.

Empower mayors

  • Reinforce that the mayor is the official spokesperson of council.
  • Clarify that mayors are the default chairperson of ordinary and special meetings.

Improve conflicts of interest and register of interests framework

  • Replace the existing conflicts of interest framework with the material personal interest and conflict of interest framework that was in place from 2013 to early 2018.

Reduce red tape

  • General approval for major policy decisions about Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements assistance to be made during local government caretaker periods.
  • Remove conduct breaches from the councillor conduct framework.
  • Remove the duplication of requirements for annual report and councillor conduct registers.
  • Change mandatory training requirements for candidates and councillors.
  • Remove regulation-making power in relation to functions/responsibilities of councillor advisors.
  • Streamline the postal ballot application process.
  • Electoral Commission of Queensland to initiate a review process and amend deadline of review of wards/divisions and councillors before a quadrennial election.
  • Remove the requirement to provide the Minister with a public benefit assessment report.

Provide certainty about councillor remuneration, leaves of absence, vacancies and eligibility

  • Clarify councillors are entitled to remuneration from date their term starts or date appointed, until date term ends.
  • Clarify that a councillor absent from council (with or without leave of absence) is entitled to remuneration.
  • Clarify that a leave of absence does not stop a councillor participating in meetings, nor limit that councillor undertaking other responsibilities.
  • Clarify that a councillor’s office becomes vacant if they are elected or appointed to fill a vacancy in the office of Mayor.
  • Provide for the automatic removal from office of a councillor who nominates as a candidate in a state election.

Promote good governance and decision-making

  • Enabling sound and robust decision-making by Brisbane City Council’s Establishment and Coordination Committee (‘Civic Cabinet’) by providing for access to committee information by non-member councillors only after decisions are made.
  • Implement the recommendation of a Parliamentary Ethics Committee report by providing that the power for councillors to request information from the CEO does not apply to a Parliamentary proceeding (e.g. a submission to a committee, tabled paper).

Enhance safeguards for election candidates and participants

  • Remove the requirement for an election candidate/participant to include a physical address in election material.
  • Instead, a candidate or participant would be given the option of including a PO Box address or other form of address prescribed by regulation.

Minor, administrative and technical amendments

  • Allow Brisbane City Council to adopt its budget before 1 August to align with other councils.
  • Ensure the name of a councillor who engages in unsuitable meeting conduct is included in conduct register.
  • Clarify that the obligation of trustee councils applies to all trustee councils.
  • Update references in legislation.
  • Amend the process for resolving competitive neutrality complaints.
  • Allow a person to act as Independent Assessor for more than six months in a 12-month period.

More information

Please contact your Local Government Division regional office:

Key resources

Last updated: 02 Dec 2025