Local Government News Roundup · Chris Eddy

Contract renewals, sector reforms, and a new arena - ft. Fabian Dattner, #561

March 10, 2026·41 min·4 clips

Should locals pay to visit the 12 Apostles? A new fee is sparking debate between councils.

The Local Government News Roundup opens on a brisk sweep of council headlines. Chris Eddy leads with new visitor fees for an international tourism icon. He then turns to CEO contract renewals in Victoria, keeping the focus on what councils are deciding right now. Hawkesbury Council responds to online activity involving two of its councillors. A new agreement between councils and the Tasmanian government follows. Queensland reforms land next, with Gold Coast Council taking control of overseas travel approvals. The episode also notes a legal win for a sacked South Australian council worker. South Perth Council's public dysfunction closes the opening news block. The show keeps the reporting tight. It leans on official positions, practical consequences, and quick moves from one jurisdiction to the next. The legal discussion turns on disclosure, risk, redaction, and a matter that is due back in court. In South Australia's Mid-North, families in the towns of Corn and Wilmington find brass nameplates torn from graves. Councils believe about 100 plaques have been taken for scrap, leaving memorials damaged and relatives devastated. Police are investigating, according to ABC News, and local mayors say the repair bill could run to tens of thousands of dollars. In Western Australia, a simple question about who should write a monthly report on the South Perth mayor's activities has blown up into a public argument. The West Australian reported that councillors spent more than an hour debating the so-called mayor's diary in front of newly appointed state monitor Gail McGowan. Several elected members said the dispute itself shows why the council is under scrutiny and why outsiders are not. A small shire in WA's south-west says the price of traffic management is starting to shut things down, not just festivals, but routine road maintenance. Manjimup Shire says it wants to restore its timber archway, a project it estimates at $35,000, but was told traffic control for a three-week job could cost $228,000. Organisers of the Donnybrook Collie Cycling Classic told ABC News that traffic costs now swallow a big share of sponsorship and the 100th race may be the last. Main Road says some exemptions and subsidised training may help, but councils want the rules reviewed. The shire of Augusta, Margaret River, is mourning the death of former shire president and councillor Mike Smart, a long-serving local leader who spent more than a decade on the council. He represented the community from 2007 to 2019, including as shire president from 2013 to 2015. The episode also touches on flood recovery in Central Australia as waters recede.

As heard by us

A brisk roundup that moves from contract renewals and reform to disputes, legal wins, and succession planning.

Chris Eddy keeps the roundup moving, shifting from contract renewals and sector reforms to council disputes, legal wins, and the practical pressures underneath them.

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You want council headlines with no wasted motion.

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