The Shire Today

Local Government

As a local government in Western Australia, the Council is part of the third level of Government, with the Federal and State Governments.  Local Government is that sphere that most closely affects the daily lives of citizens.

There are 140 Councils in Western Australia and 2 Councils in the Indian Ocean Territories.  These are often referred to collectively as the “Local Government Industry”.

The provision of the Local Government Act 1995 imposes certain powers and responsibilities on all Councils in Western Australia.  A copy of the Act is available from the State Law Publisher website.

Under the Western Australia Local Government Act 1995 the Council is empowered to make local laws which regulate and control certain activities and functions within the Shire. The current Shire of Wiluna Local Laws are found here.

Other legislation provides Council with responsibility for matters such as health, building, planning and local laws, as well as the administration of policies and legislation.

Council and Administration

The Council of the Shire of Wiluna is made up of  7 elected Councillors.  The Councillors’ terms are four years, and elections are held every two years for approximately half the Councillors.

Current information about the Wiluna Shire Councillors, elections and meetings can be found here.

The Council is the decision making body of the Shire, making very “big picture” decisions such as strategies, policies, local laws and other decision required by law including adopting the annual budget, approving town planning applications and considering different requests from the public.

 The Council employs the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who is employed to manage to day-to-day running of Shire and to implement and administer Council’s decisions. The CEO cannot do this alone and so employs other staff  to carry out certain functions and duties.

A list of current staff and their contacts can be located here.