President's Report - February 2026

Welcome to the first edition of LGAT News for 2026.

I hope that you enjoyed a break over the festive season and have returned feeling refreshed and ready for another year. We certainly have had to hit the ground running, with the State Government in catch-up mode following the State Election, seeking comments on a wide range of policy and legislative proposals. In addition to the Local Government Priority Reform Program, these have included:

• Reform to councillor numbers
• Our State Budget submission
• Development Assessment Panels version 3
• The Single Start Up Permit discussion paper
• The Short Stay Levy bill.

I recently attended the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) Strategic Planning Session in Adelaide with Paula and Dion. This was an important session, where I met with fellow ALGA Board Members to discuss priorities and focus areas for 2026. ALGA plays a critical role in representing our interests in Canberra to the Federal Government, and much like LGAT, they achieve a lot with a very small team.

Local government reform continues to be on the State Government’s agenda as they progress the Local Government Priority Reform Program. Multiple discussion papers and draft legislation have been out for consultation, and we anticipate that most of these reforms will be introduced to Parliament in the coming months. As these progress, we will communicate with you as soon as possible.

It’s an election year for local government, and LGAT is working on materials to support candidates through the nomination and voting period. Our Candidate Handbook and Councillor Handbook for 2026 will be available soon. In the meantime, you can refer to the materials we produced in 2022 as a guide. We are looking forward to launching our Seat at the Table campaign later this year that aims to increase diversity across all councils.