How to change local government arrangements​

Sometimes changes can be made to how a council is set up. The requirements for a change are set by the Local Government Act 2009 and can be about:

• changes to a council’s name or classification
• changes to a shared boundary with a neighbouring council
• changes to the number of councillors that make up the council
• whether the council should change from a divided to an undivided council in terms of representation by councillors (or the reverse)
• changes to the internal divisional boundaries, names of divisions and the number of councillors per division.

Proposed changes are not decided by the department. Instead, all change proposals are independently assessed by the Local Government Change Commission, which considers factors such as community identity, representation, service delivery, and financial impacts. The department’s role is to support the process and ensure proposals meet legislative requirements before being referred to the Change Commission.

The Minister can accept requests for a proposed change from:

• the community
• one or more councils or
• a state department.

Making changes to Brisbane City Council is different in some cases. This information will apply to Brisbane where the change request is about impact on neighbouring councils. Brisbane City Council may request change to its set up under the City of Brisbane Act 2010 but external boundary changes impacting on other councils must be proposed by the Minister.

For more detailed guidance on how change proposals are assessed, please refer to the Guide to Local Government Change Proposals on LG Central.