Local Government

The Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange in Casino is back in business following a lengthy closure sparked by a stand-off between agents and Richmond Valley Council over selling agreements.

The Greens pledge to push for trams to come back to Brisbane if they gain power at next month's council election, as the LNP prepares to announce more details about its Metro expansion plan.

Farmer Daniel Perry's rates have gone up 66 per cent in three years and, as the value of his land increases, he expects an even bigger rates bill in 2024.

Nineteen councils across New South Wales were changed and created during the amalgamation process in 2019.

As people reportedly wait months just to get approval to build sheds and signs, councils across NSW look to jump on board an artificial intelligence program that aims to revolutionise the development process. 

The reopening of Shark Beach in Sydney's east has again been delayed after major defects were found in the concrete piles designed to support a rebuilt seawall.

When a safe was found hidden in the walls of a local council office in south-east Victoria some years ago, a safecracker was hired in the hope of uncovering the long-lost treasure.

A Sydney council has backed down from a plan to switch from weekly to fortnightly waste collection after complaints about smelly bins, maggots and flies.

Frustrated with a lack of government action, the residents of this coastal paradise constructed their own sea walls to slow coastal erosion. But authorities claim the ad hoc builds sometimes make erosion worse and need to be removed.

The owners of an award-winning farm helping to preserve the world's dwindling number of Clydesdale horses claim council red tape is jeopardising their Central Victorian business.

A long-awaited hotel development at the home of the WA PGA Championship is "off track" according to a council report, despite $10 million in ratepayers' money being committed for early works.

Townsville police allege the man became verbally aggressive and hit a piece of timber against the windscreen of a clean-up vehicle, and tried to kick and punch the 65-year-old male worker inside.

The Canberra Liberals announce a $65 million cost-of-living package in the form of school and sport vouchers and rebates for car registration and electricity.

Labor councillors voted against their party's mayor and deputy mayor to get a million-dollar partnership with a NRL club across the line.

A brigade near Margaret River says emergency water supplies critical for firefighting have been stolen as the local shire investigates and more security measures are put in place.

Queensland's governing tennis body says the state needs hundreds more courts to reach its desired ratio of one court for every 2,000 people.

He's one of the few West Australians most would recognise from his first name alone, thanks to a career spanning TV, radio and print — and now Basil Zempilas is throwing his hat in the political ring.

Basil Zempilas was engaged in a conversation with a journalist, talking about reading the news during a tennis final, when an off-the-cuff comment triggered a social media storm.

Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas announces he will be seeking WA Liberal Party preselection in Churchlands, as party leader Libby Mettam welcomes the "high-quality candidate". 

Apollo Bay is a tourist mecca whose population explodes roughly 10 times in the peak visitor season. But locals and workers without deep pockets say they're struggling to stay, exacerbating the pressures on those who remain year-round.

A shire president in regional WA says her council is under pressure to appease two sides of the debate around changing the date of Australia Day events, and wants more guidance from the federal government.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has released new figures indicating there are tens of thousands of fewer bus services compared to a decade ago, but the state government says it's an admission of financial mismanagement by the council.

Councils are citing low participation and consultation with First Nations communities as reasons for moving Australia Day ceremonies away from January 26.  

The Queensland government acknowledges it has work to do to hit its waste targets, including a goal to divert 55 per cent of household waste from landfill by 2025.

The councillors made the decision about the former Arundel Hills Country Club citing concerns for local koalas and the need for green space, despite acknowledging a dire need for new housing in Australia.