POWER WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY IS A
RECIPE FOR DISASTER AND CORRUPTION
Local investigations
Public accountability
Keeping them honest
👋 Welcome to Council Watch Australia
Shining a light on your local government.
At Council Watch Australia, we believe ratepayers deserve transparency, accountability, and value for money.
We’re a national watchdog committed to exposing waste, highlighting governance failures, and standing up for the communities that councils are meant to serve.
Whether it’s skyrocketing rates, shady deals, dodgy planning decisions, or taxpayer-funded junkets, we track it, report it, and fight back. Our mission is simple: to hold councils across the country to account — from Broome to Ballarat, Parramatta to Port Lincoln.
🔍 Investigations. 📣 Advocacy. 💬 Community Voice. 📊 Data-driven insights.
We’re not funded by government. We don’t play party politics.
We’re here for you — the residents, ratepayers, and businesses who expect better from their local council.
If you think your council has forgotten who it works for, you’re not alone.
Join the growing movement for real local democracy and clean governance.
👉 Welcome to Council Watch. Eyes on every council. All across Australia.
%20(1).png)
Local Government Act 1989 - Sect 224 (7) "An authorised officer may enter any land or building in the municipal district at any reasonable time to carry out and enforce this or any other Act or any regulation or local law. "
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 2020 - SECT 79
Penalties
(1) A local law may—
(a) prescribe a penalty not exceeding 20 penalty units for a contravention of a local law; and
(b) prescribe a penalty not exceeding 2 penalty units for each day after a finding of guilt or conviction for an offence during which the contravention continues; and
(c) prescribe higher penalties (not exceeding 20 penalty units) for a subsequent offence.
(2) If a local law does not expressly prescribe a penalty for a contravention of the local law, the court before which proceedings are brought may impose a penalty not exceeding 10 penalty units.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 2020 - SECT 80
Application of local law
A local law may be expressed so as to do any or all or a combination of the following—
(a) apply at all times or at a specified time;
(b) apply throughout the whole of the municipal district or in a specified part of the municipal district;
(c) apply to all cases or to all cases subject to specified exceptions or to any specified case or class of case;
(d) make provision for all cases or different provision for different cases or classes of case or different provisions for the same case or class of case for different purposes;
(e) require a matter to be in accordance with a specified standard or specified requirement or approved by or to the satisfaction of a specified person or body or a specified class of persons or bodies;
(f) provide in a specified case or class of case for the exception of persons or things or a class of persons or things from the local law, whether unconditionally or on specified conditions and either wholly or to the extent specified.