President's Report - June 2026
Welcome to the June edition of LGAT News.
Local government elections are coming up in October, and it’s great to see so many people putting their hands up already. If you’re thinking about running, LGAT has just released a Candidate Handbook with useful info on how to nominate and get your campaign underway. Some councils are also running Candidate Information Sessions, which is a fantastic way for interested community members to find out what’s involved and ask any questions.
I’m really pleased to let you know that Leigh Gray has been elected the new LGAT Vice President by the General Management Committee. I’m looking forward to working more closely with him as we represent the sector together. Leigh is taking over from Paula Wriedt, who finished up with local government last month. I want to say a big thank you to Paula for all her support and friendship over the years, it’s been a real privilege to work alongside her. She’s made a fantastic contribution to our sector and to the Kingborough community.
The Targeted Amendment Bill has been up for debate in the Upper House recently. LGAT's CEO, Dion, was heavily engaged with the Legislative Council members to share the sector’s perspective on the proposed changes. Debate on the Bill is expected to conclude the week of 23 June, after which we will inform the sector of the next steps for the reforms supported by the Legislative Council.
Don’t forget that nominations are closing very soon for the Awards for Excellence and the LGAT Service Awards. I encourage you to nominate the outstanding projects and people within your council. Winners will be announced at the LGAT Annual Conference in August.
Speaking of the conference, tickets are now on sale! I hope to see many of you in Hobart as the sector gathers together before the elections. The theme for this year is The Power in Local, and we’ve got some great speakers lined up. The Annual General Meeting will be held the day before the conference program begins.
And finally, I am looking forward to seeing many of you while in Canberra at the Australian Local Government Association’s National General Assembly (NGA). For local government elected representatives and staff, I encourage you to join hosts Regional Development Australia - Tasmania (RDAT), Cradle Coast Authority (CCA), Northern Tasmania Development Corporation (NTDC), Southern Tasmania Council Network (STCN) and LGAT for a networking event for the Tasmanian NGA attendees.
To register and purchase your ticket, please follow this link: https://events.humanitix.com/tasmanian-cohort-attending-nga