Local government roles

Mayors and councillors have different roles and responsibilities to the CEO and other local government employees.

In summary, mayors and councillors make local laws and determine policy and other matters at a strategic level. They are responsible for setting the overall direction of the local government. Ultimately, the elected councillors are directly responsible to the community for the local government’s performance. The CEO manages the day-to-day operations of the local government and its employees in accordance with the plans and policies set by the mayor and councillors.

Conduct of council employees

Council employees must act legally and ethically in their role. They must comply with their council’s code of conduct and the local government principles outlined in the Local Government Act 2009 and the City of Brisbane Act 2010.

If you have a complaint about the conduct of a council employee, you should contact the council. You should provide clear information about the reason for your complaint, including who was involved, what happened, and when and where it happened (time, date, and place). If possible, you should also include evidence to support your complaint.

Council’s CEO will normally delegate the responsibility for investigating complaints to an officer in council. They may discipline or counsel the employee if they have not acted appropriately.

Councillor conduct and obligations

Councillors must comply with legislated requirements including:

• acting in the public interest for the entire community
• attending council meetings
• ensuring their conduct is lawful, ethical, and appropriate for an elected representative
• not misusing information acquired as a councillor and keeping private and other information confidential where required
• complying with the Code of conduct for councillors in Queensland ( 344.3 KB).