Today on the Local Government News Roundup:

• Greater Shepparton fraud probe – seven men interviewed;
• A Macedon Ranges worker loses a work from home challenge
• Another aged care service exit confirmed
• Council overruled on Wollongong tower project
• Politic opportunism accusations from a mayor’s family
• Hobart’s Lord Mayor and the Tasmanian Premier at odds
• A monitor installed at another WA council
• Plus body-worn cameras – how one council has updated its policy in the face of rising aggression towards council officers – South Burnett Regional Council CEO Mark Pitt is Chris’s guest on Roundup Extra.

Listen to this episode now:

Victoria

Detectives have interviewed seven men as part of an ongoing fraud investigation involving Greater Shepparton City Council and a local business.

ABC News reported that the council identified the financial and governance irregularities internally before referring the matter to police. The men, aged between 36 and 55, have been released pending further enquiries. It’s understood the alleged fraudulent conduct occurred between 2022 and this year.

The Council has confirmed a small number of council employees are involved in the police inquiry, but it’s not in a position to comment further at this time.

A Macedon Ranges Shire Council worker has failed in his bid to work from home four days a week after the Fair Work Commission ruled that his employer had reasonable business grounds to refuse.

The planning and building liaison officer argued that he experienced work-related fatigue due to his age and needed to share his vehicle with a family member.

However, The Age reported that the commission upheld the council’s position that having experienced staff physically present in the office to foster collaboration and team engagement is a valid business priority.

Manningham Council has formally lodged its objection to a proposed boundary expansion for the North East Link Project.

The council’s submission cites significant concerns over vegetation loss, reduced public amenity, and inadequate community consultation regarding the Doncaster and Doncaster East sites.

Council is calling for a substantial reduction of the proposed Specific Controls Overlay to protect local municipal assets.

A City of Melbourne Council Committee has carried a motion addressing the growing harms linked to nitrous oxide misuse, commonly known as nangs.

Moved by Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece, the motion notes council spent one hundred and forty-six thousand dollars in the past year collecting more than six thousand six hundred illegally dumped canisters.

Council will write to state and federal health, police and consumer affairs authorities, seeking a ban on flavoured nitrous oxide and stronger national regulation.

Officers will report back within three months on removal and disposal options.

Baw Baw Shire Council has launched a parking infringement refund scheme following an administrative error that led to the over-collection of fines.

Motorists who paid penalties for seven minor parking offences between January 2002 and June 2010, or between July 2016 and August 2025, may be eligible for a partial refund ranging from $13.50 to $61.

The issue arose when the maximum penalty unit was incorrectly applied without the required council resolution, and the issue has since been rectified.

Drivers can check their eligibility online via the Baw Baw Shire Council website.

Northern Grampians Shire Council has voted to withdraw from direct aged care service delivery, transitioning its operations to local providers by January 2027.

The council says moving from block funding to a fee-for-service model has introduced significant financial risk and compliance challenges.

Council is advocating for Grampians Community Health and East Wimmera Health Service to take over care for the municipality’s three hundred clients.

The City of Greater Bendigo has launched a community survey to determine the future of its local public holiday arrangements.

Residents west of the Campaspe River have until August 9 to choose between retaining Bendigo Cup Day, or switching to Bendigo Show Day or Melbourne Cup Day from 2027.

Yarra City Council will reduce its glass recycling collection from fortnightly to every four weeks.

The decision follows community consultation and waste audits, which revealed glass bins were, on average, only one-third full on collection days. Council expects the move to optimise resources and decrease vehicle emissions.

Mornington Peninsula Shire has deployed anti-theft security measures across its reserves following a series of copper wire thefts.

The infrastructure damage has cost the council over one hundred thousand dollars and disrupted local sports clubs.

The Shire is collaborating with Victoria Police to step up patrols at key public sites.

And now a word from the VLGA:

Bookings are now open for the VLGA’s 2026 Mayoral Leadership Program which provides mayors and deputy mayors with targeted knowledge to fulfil their roles with a high degree of competency.

The program is directly aligned with the mandatory regulatory requirements outlined by the Victorian Government in their Governance and Integrity Regulations introduced in October 2024.

In addition to upskilling, the program presents an opportunity for mayors and deputy mayors from across Victoria to foster and strengthen connections and establish support networks at the beginning of their term.

The Mayoral Leadership Program is designed to equip mayors and deputy mayors to lead their council, as well as to satisfy the legislative requirements to undertake induction training within one month of election to the role.

While we know mayoral elections won’t be finalised until mid-November, please register now under your Governance Manager or Mayors and Councillors office to secure Earlybird prices. Register now via the VLGA website.

NSW

The New South Wales Planning Department has approved early excavation works for a multi-tower project in Wollongong, overruling objections from the local council according to the Illawarra Mercury.

Developer Level 33 is seeking to construct towers up to 26 storeys high on Crown Street, a proposal granted State Significant Development status.

Wollongong City Council argued the deeper digging pre-empts approval for the main residential towers, which are still under assessment.

However, planning officials cleared the excavation of over 1,500 tonnes of waste, concluding the work will not harm a heritage-listed Moreton Bay fig tree on the site.

Wollongong Lord Mayor Cr Tania Brown has urged residents to remain alert for H5N1 bird flu following a confirmed case on the New South Wales mid-north coast.

Cr Brown said the council has enacted a multi-phased preparation plan, training key staff to monitor local wildlife populations and manage potential outbreaks.

Yass Valley Council is leading a national push for the establishment of a dedicated federal fund to upgrade and replace ageing council-managed swimming pools.

Presenting a strategic motion at the Australian Local Government Association National General Assembly in Canberra, Yass Valley Mayor Jasmin Jones secured crucial backing from several regional and city councils.

Advocacy groups warn that without federal intervention, over five hundred public pools nationwide face closure by 2030 due to maintenance costs exceeding local government rate bases.

Goulburn Mulwaree Council is responding to a massive surge in heavy vehicle traffic following a train derailment at the Berrima Road level crossing.

The incident suspended Southern Shorthaul Railroad operations, forcing Boral to temporarily shift its freight to the roads. The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure approved the emergency measure without consulting the council.

Council is launching urgent condition and safety assessments on freight routes, with the heavy haulage disruption expected to last until August 15.

MidCoast Council says it is is continuing its push for flood recovery funding, submitting claims totaling more than one hundred and two million dollars to the New South Wales Reconstruction Authority.

Investigations have identified over forty-seven hundred damaged sites across seven hundred and sixty roads.

While some initial bridge designs have been submitted, the council is still awaiting funding outcomes for major regional transport links, including The Bucketts Way and Thunderbolts Way.

Leeton Shire Council has secured 150,000 dollars in state funding to improve night-time safety in its central business district.

The grant, provided through Transport for New South Wales, will fund placemaking initiatives and community workshops starting this August to identify safety and accessibility improvements for women and gender-diverse residents.

Queensland

The family of Redlands Mayor Jos Mitchell has accused Queensland’s local government department of political opportunism, according to the Brisbane Times.

The department claimed the Mayor’s extended medical leave limited a state-appointed governance adviser’s effectiveness.

In a statement, the Mayor’s family criticised the department’s comments as lacking common decency.

Tasmania

Seven prominent Hobart hospitality venues have entered voluntary administration, sparking a row over local government red tape.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff accused Hobart City Council of failing to value small business.

Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds has hit back, rejecting the claims and accusing the Premier of political point-scoring. Pulse Tasmania has more on that story.

Kingborough Council has unanimously approved a 99-year lease to lock in the Tasmania Football Club’s new training headquarters.

As reported by The Mercury, the agreement features a strategic provision reverting the 115-million-dollar facility to the state government if terminated, protecting the council from future asset liability.

South Australia

Light Regional Council, based in Kapunda, has recorded a strong year of growth for 2025–26, with development approvals reaching two hundred and forty three point four-seven million dollars ($243.47m).

Data from the council shows seven-hundred-and-eighty-five applications were lodged, with two-hundred-and-eighty-six new dwellings approved. Of those, two-hundred-and-thirty are located within the Roseworthy Township Expansion area to help address housing shortages.

The council’s planning team processed ninety-eight point five-one per cent of applications within statutory timeframes, managing twenty-nine public notification processes over the twelve-month period.

The Rural City of Murray Bridge has launched its first self-guided Public Art Trail.

Designed to showcase local storytelling and history, the initiative features three distinct walking routes across the central city, riverfront, and city fringes.

Printed maps detailing the open-air gallery routes are now available at several community hubs, or online via the Murray Bridge Council website.

Western Australia

Multiple former City of South Perth councillors have issued a joint statement citing a hostile and confrontational workplace culture as the reason for their recent resignations.

The West Australian reported that six former elected members claimed that respectful disagreement within the chamber had been replaced by personal conflict, leaving them feeling psychologically unsafe.

The mass departures have left only half of the council positions filled, intensifying calls for an independent inquiry into the city’s governance environment.

The Western Australian Local Government Inspector has appointed Jeff Gooding PSM as a Local Government Monitor to the Shire of Halls Creek.

Mr Gooding, a former Commissioner at the Shire of Derby West Kimberley, will observe and advise on governance, decision-making, and relations between council members and staff.

The elected council remains in place, and a final report is due by mid-December.

The appointment is for 5 months, but can be extended if required.

The City of Fremantle has issued a statement correcting online claims that a Norfolk pine tree was removed during the demolition of the Carriage Café at the Esplanade Reserve.

Council officials confirmed that all surrounding Norfolk pines have been retained.

The visible stump currently circulating in social media reports belongs to a tree that was cut back to roof level in 2019 due to ill health.

The Local Government News Roundup is supported this month by the National Growth Areas Alliance’s 2026 Emerging Growth Areas Forum.

Australia is aiming to deliver 1.2 million new homes in five years, and councils are on the front line—planning neighbourhoods and building the roads, drainage, schools, libraries and community infrastructure to match.

The forum will be held Tuesday 4 August at Hume City Council Town Hall in Broadmeadows, alongside the NGAA National Congress. Registration is open now at ngaa.org.au.

International

UK:

Greater Manchester is heading to the polls on July 30th to elect a new mayor following Andy Burnham’s return to Westminster.

Seven candidates are on the ballot.

Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig is running for Labour, while Trafford councillor Phil Eckersley stands for the Conservatives.

Sian Astley represents Reform UK, and Geraldine Coggins is running for the Greens.

Rounding out the ballot are Liberal Democrat Richard Kilpatrick, Marlon West for Restore Britain, and Independent Marcus Farmer.

ITV News reported that a new voting system will be used, where residents will cast first and second preferences.

The mayor of Redditch, Sue Eacock, has issued a public apology for historical social media posts that criticised minority communities.

The Reform UK councillor told a full council meeting she was sorry for the offence caused, describing her entry into public office as a steep learning curve.

BBC News reported that opposition parties and local community groups have accepted the apology.

An international data-sharing initiative has launched to crack down on the illegal subletting of social housing on short-term rental platforms.

Coordinated by the Cabinet Office’s fraud team, the scheme enables local councils to cross-reference housing records against online listings.

Nearly six thousand social homes in England are suspected of being illegally sublet, with early results identifying four hundred and seventy cases.

According to BBC News, proponents expect the initiative to return hundreds of properties to families on waiting lists, though some housing groups argue it will have a minimal impact on the broader housing crisis.

USA:

Former Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has pleaded guilty in a federal bribery case tied to a proposed downtown convention centre hotel project.

Prosecutors say the plea follows an FBI undercover operation, with agents posing as developers.

Lumumba admitted to a conspiracy count, involving five ten-thousand-dollar checks disguised as campaign contributions in exchange for moving a city deadline.

He faces up to five years in prison and a possible 250-thousand-dollar fine at sentencing, according to USA Today.

USA TODAY reports that former reality television contestant Spencer Pratt has met with United States President Donald Trump in the Oval Office following his unsuccessful bid for Los Angeles Mayor.

Running as a Republican, Pratt failed to progress past the primary election. Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and City Council member Nithya Raman, both Democrats, will contest the general election in November.

NZ:

Southland’s mayor is questioning the accuracy of new financial modelling on local government amalgamation.

Environment Southland says its analysis — based on councils’ long-term plans — suggests moving to a two-council structure would deliver only about two-point-two million dollars in savings by 2034.

But Southland District Mayor Rob Scott says the numbers don’t add up, claiming savings would be at least ten million dollars a year, and he wants to see how duplication costs were calculated.

Environment Southland chair Jeremy McPhail says the modelling has been released transparently and expects it to be challenged.

A summit of Southland councils is scheduled for next week, according to the Southland Tribune.

Stuart Duncan has resigned as Chief Executive of the Waimate District Council after nearly a decade in the role.

Mr Duncan noted the timing allows a new chief executive to lead the organisation through upcoming local government reforms.

He will remain in the position until late September to assist with the transition.

ROUNDUP EXTRA:

More councils across Australia are formalising their approach to protecting staff who work face-to-face with the public — and body-worn cameras are increasingly part of that toolkit.

South Burnett Regional Council in Queensland is one of the latest to update its policy, adopting a revised framework at its June meeting that covers compliance officers, environmental health staff, and caravan park night monitors.

The Council’s CEO Mark Pitt joins Chris to talk through through the policy and what other councils thinking about this issue might want to consider, and to discuss current financial challenges including proposed new government disaster recovery funding rules.