Councillor Conduct Framework Reform

The NSW Government is reforming the Councillor Conduct Framework to set clearer standards, strengthen accountability and build confidence in local government decision‑making.

Since the release of the September 2024 consultation paper titled Councillor conduct and meeting practices – A new framework, reforms have progressed, combining law reforms with practical guidance for councils and councillors.

Key milestones delivered as part of the reform program include:

• In June 2025, the Office of Local Government issued a guideline on Free Speech in Local Government in NSW to address misuse of the current councillor conduct framework to inhibit political communication by councillors.
• The Local Government and Other Legislation Amendment (Councillor Conduct Proceedings) Bill 2026 was introduced into the NSW Parliament providing more effective pathways to address serious misconduct by councillors through the NSW Land and Environment Court.
• In June 2026, the NSW Government released the Policy Statement: Improving Councillor Accountability outlining the proposed approach to managing councillor misconduct in NSW.
• In June 2026, the NSW Government also released a draft Model Code of Conduct for Councillors for public consultation.
• Public consultation for both documents closed on 7 August 2026. Read the submissions for the Model Code of Conduct for Councillors (PDF, 947 KB) and the Policy Statement: Improving Councillor Accountability (PDF, 18.4 MB), and previous consultation resources for more information.

The NSW Government is considering the feedback received through both of the June 2026 consultations.

Have your say

The NSW Government is now seeking feedback on the proposed new Model Code of Conduct for Council Staff, Delegates and Committee Members (PDF, 716 KB).

As part of the development of the new Councillor Conduct Framework, the Model Code of Conduct for Local Councils in NSW is being split into 2 separate codes: one that applies specifically to councillors and another that will apply to council staff, delegates, and committee members.

This will allow the prescription of ethical and behavioural standards for councillors on the one hand and council staff and others on the other, to better reflect the different nature of their roles.

Feedback has been sought on the proposed new Model Code of Conduct for Councillors, and the consultation is now closed. The submissions received have been published below.

Feedback is now being sought on the proposed new Model Code of Conduct for Council Staff, Delegates and Committee Members.

This will largely retain many of the existing provisions of the current Model Code of Conduct for Local Councils in NSW in a more simplified form.

Reforms to the disclosure of interests

Both model codes of conduct will see significant changes to the way designated persons' (such as general managers and senior executive staff) and councillors' disclosures of interests will be managed.

The Model Code of Conduct for Council Staff, Delegates and Committee Members contains new provisions governing the making and publication of returns of interest by designated persons. These are modelled on the requirements that apply to members of the NSW Parliament under the Constitution (Disclosures by Members) Regulation 2026.

The reforms will see the following changes to the way disclosures of interests are managed:

• designated persons will only be required to complete a full return once, within one month of their appointment. If they need to update their interests, they will only be required to complete the part of the return relevant to the new matter being disclosed
• general managers will be required to keep an electronic register of the disclosures made by designated persons in 2 parts:
  • a publicly available part that must be published on the council's website in a searchable form
  • a confidential part containing the addresses of real property used for residential purposes
• designated persons will be required to lodge an annual declaration confirming the accuracy of the information in the register.

NSW Parliament's Privileges Committee is undertaking a review of the disclosure requirements that apply to members of parliament. This includes considering whether the interests of immediate family members, namely a spouse or partner and any dependent children, should also be disclosed. Any changes to these requirements will also be applied to councils via both model codes of conduct. If this were to occur, these interests would be disclosed to the Office of Local Government and kept confidential to protect the privacy of councillors' and designated persons' family members.