Annual reports and registers

Registers

Important note

Local Government Act 1995

5.90. Offence to publish information in certain cases 

(1) A person must not publish —  

(a) any information derived from a register of financial interests or register of gifts unless that information constitutes a fair or accurate report or summary of information contained in the register and is published in good faith; or 

(b) any comment on the facts set forth in a register of financial interests or register of gifts unless that comment is fair and published in good faith.

Penalty: $5000 or imprisonment for 1 year. 

(2) In subsection (1) —   publish has the meaning that the term has in the law of tort (as modified by the Defamation Act 2005) relating to defamation.

Register of Gifts and Contributions to Travel

Councillors and the Chief Executive Officer are required to disclose gifts which are valued over $300 or are two or more gifts with a cumulative value of $300 (where the gifts are received from the same donor in a 12-month period) within 10 days of receipt. (Sections 5.87A and 5.87B of the Local Government Act 1995.)

As per section 5.89(A)(5) of the Local Government Act 1995, the Chief Executive Officer is to record and publish the Register of Gifts disclosed under sections 5.87A and 5.87B. 

This register contains disclosures of gifts worth more than $300 made by a relevant person, which includes designated people and Councillors. It also contains disclosures of contributions to travel made by a relevant person. For more information about gifts and contributions to travel, visit the Department of Local Government, Sporting and Cultural Industries website.

Register of Notifiable Gifts

In accordance with regulation 34B of the Local Government (Administration) Regulations 1996, the CEO is required to keep a register of notifiable gifts and publish this on the local government's website.

A notifiable gift, in relation to a person who is an employee, means - (a) a gift worth between $50 and $300; or (b) a gift that is one of 2 or more gifts given to the employee by the same person within a period of 6 months that are in total worth between $50 and $300.

Register of Complaints of Minor Breaches

As per section 5.121(3) of the Local Government Act 1995, the Chief Executive Officer is to publish an up-to-date version of the register of complaints on the local government’s official website. This register records all complaints that result in a finding under section 5.110(2)(a) that a minor breach occurred. 

Register of Councillor Training

As per section 5.127(1) and (2) of the Local Government Act 1995, the Chief Executive Officer is to publish a report each financial year detailing the training completed by Councillors within the financial year.