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Local government in Tasmania

On any given day, you might drive to your local café, take your dog to the park, pick your kids up from soccer practice or bring your recycling bin in from the kerb after work. For all these activities, your council is working behind the scenes to ensure your local roads are maintained, your café meets food safety requirements, the public sportsground is safe to play on, and that your recycling is collected and properly managed.

Local councils make decisions about many of the services and places you use every day. This article explains how councils work, who makes those decisions, and how those people are elected.

The creation of Tasmania’s local government areas

Tasmania’s system of elected local government began in the early 1850s. In 1852, legislation established municipal councils for Hobart and Launceston, with the first councillors taking office in 1853.

Through the second half of the 1800s, a patchwork of councils, trusts, boards and other local bodies emerged, to manage services such as roads, water, cemeteries and licensing.

The Local Government Act 1906 introduced a new statewide system, made up of the cities of Hobart and Launceston and 49 municipalities (local councils). Over time, amalgamations and other changes reduced the number of councils.

Today, Tasmania has 29 local government areas. Six are cities — Hobart, Launceston, Glenorchy, Clarence, Devonport and Burnie — and the remaining 23 are other local council areas.

Each local government has defined boundaries that set out the area its council is responsible for maintaining and making decisions about. The boundaries for Tasmania’s 29 councils were established in 1993, with some adjustments made over the years. Boundaries can take account of geographical features, roads and access, and community interests. This means local government areas vary considerably in size and population across Tasmania.

Historically, councils focused mainly on services and infrastructure such as roads, waste and stormwater. Those services remain important, but today councils also play a broader role in supporting communities through recreation, community development and the public spaces and facilities people use every day.

Image: Tasmania showing municipalities under the Local Government Act 1906 (detail), Surveyor General's Office. (1939). Trove [linked].

How Tasmania’s councils operate

Australians are represented by three levels of government: federal, state and territory, and local. In Tasmania, local councils are created by state law. The Tasmanian parliament makes those laws and sets out what councils can do and what they are responsible for.

Tasmania’s Minister for Local Government is the member of parliament responsible for the laws and statewide system that govern local councils. Councils otherwise make their own decisions about local services and priorities for their communities.

Each local council is made up of elected councillors and a council administration. The elected councillors, including the mayor and deputy mayor, serve four-year terms and are responsible for setting priorities for services and infrastructure in their area. They appoint a general manager who leads the council administration and the staff who plan and deliver projects and works in line with the priorities and decisions of the elected council.

Local government elections are held every four years and are an important opportunity to make your mark on your local community, by helping to choose the people who will represent you and set priorities for your local area. Understanding what councils do and the role of elected councillors can help you make an informed choice when you vote.