Making a boundary change proposal

The Local Government Boundaries Commission is responsible for investigating council boundary change proposals.

See the LGBC information paper for an overview.

Who can make a proposal?

Proposals are usually submitted to the Commission by local councils or members of the public, but can also be submitted by the Minister or Parliament.

Members of the public can submit a proposal to the Commission to consider:

council boundary alterations
changes in the composition of a council or its representative structure
including unincorporated land into a council.

Members of the public cannot initiate a council amalgamation or the creation of a new council.

Guidelines for preparing a proposal

The following guidelines describe how to submit a proposal, and the process used by the Commission to receive, assess and progress council boundary change proposals.

Guidelines

Guideline 1 General Information (PDF, 189 KB)
Guideline 2 Administrative Proposals (PDF, 164 KB)
Guideline 3 Submitting a Proposal to the Commission (PDF, 177 KB)
Guideline 4 Investigations (PDF, 166 KB)
Guideline 5 Appointing Investigators (PDF, 131 KB)
Guideline 6 Public Initiated Submissions (PDF, 314 KB)
Guideline 7 Alteration to the Composition or Representative Structure of a Council (PDF, 213 KB)
Guideline 8 Costs (PDF, 202 KB)
Guideline 9 Engagement and Consultation (PDF, 200 KB)
Guideline 10 Minister Initiated Proposals (PDF, 269 KB)

These guidelines should be read in conjunction with the Local Government Act 1999.

The proposal templates provide additional guidance around the process and documents required.

Council boundary change process

As no two proposals will be the same - and the level of consultation or investigation will differ between proposals - the Commission cannot provide timeframes for the boundary change process.

Stage 1

Potential proposal
The council or individual submits a potential boundary change proposal to the Commission for feedback.

Commission response
The Commission will determine whether the proponent can proceed to prepare a General Proposal or if further work needs to be undertaken.

Stage 2

General Proposal
The council or individual submits a more extensive general proposal.

Commission investigation
The Commission begins an investigation and thoroughly assesses the proposal. This includes public consultation with affected councils and communities.

Inquiry report
The Commission makes a final recommendation in a report that is presented to the Minister for Local Government.

Final decision

Ministerial decision
The Minister for Local Government makes the final decision based on the recommendations made by the Commission.

Proclamation
If the Minister determines the proposal should proceed, it will be forwarded to the Governor with a recommendation that a proclamation be made.

If the Minister determines the proposal should not proceed, a report must be prepared for both Houses of Parliament.