External boundary & electoral arrangement reviews

The Change Commission is responsible for assessing proposed changes to external boundaries or electoral arrangements, and whether they are in the public interest.

There is no legislated date for this type of review. The timing of reviews is subject to a range of factors such as the complexity of the proposal and public consultation requirements.

Please note: the Change Commission is legally required to address enrolment quotas in divided councils in the year before the local government quadrennial elections. Therefore, divisional boundary reviews must be prioritised in the year before the local government elections.

Current reviews

The Minister responsible for Local Government has referred the following local government change requests for the Change Commission's independent assessment.

External boundary review

Rockhampton Regional Council and Livingstone Shire Council

The Change Commission has received a referral from the Minister responsible for Local Government to consider a boundary change between Rockhampton Regional Council and Livingstone Shire Council.

This would involve the potential transfer of the suburbs of Glenlee, Rockyview and Glendale from Livingstone Shire Council's local government area to the Rockhampton Regional Council local government area.

In line with the terms of the referral, the Change Commission has engaged the Queensland Treasury Corporation to assess the potential financial impacts of this change. The report of the financial assessment will be made publicly available before public consultation commences.

Following this review, and before making a recommendation, the Change Commission will undertake community consultation.

What happens next?

The Queensland Treasury Corporation is currently working with the two Councils to undertake the financial assessment of the proposed change.

It is anticipated the financial assessment will be finished by the end of January 2022 and the report on the assessment will be published soon afterwards.

In 2022, the Change Commission will ask electors in both local government areas what they think of the proposed change. The format for this poll has not yet been decided.

After that, the Change Commission will provide the results of its assessment to the public, and the Minister responsible for Local Government.

The Governor in Council may implement a recommendation of the Change Commission under a regulation. The regulation may provide for anything that is necessary or convenient to facilitate the change.

Fact sheets

Contact us

For further information please email LGboundaries@ecq.qld.gov.au or call 1300 881 665.

Barcaldine Regional Council and adjoining councils

The Change Commission has received a referral from the Minister responsible for Local Government to consider a boundary change between the Barcaldine Regional Council and the Blackall Tambo Regional Council, Charters Towers Regional Council, Central Highlands Regional Council, Flinders Shire Council, Isaac Regional Council and Longreach Regional Council.

This proposed change would see 24 lots currently split between Barcaldine and the other Councils being united, so they are no longer split between local government areas.

STATUS: Early commencement period

The Change Commission has commenced consultation with the Councils in order to consult the impacted landholders.

Electoral arrangement reviews

Cook Shire Council

The Minister responsible for Local Government referred a proposed change for the Cook Shire Council to shift from an undivided, to a multi-member divided electoral arrangement. The change had been requested by the Cook Shire Council.

As an ‘undivided’ local government area, electors in the Cook Shire Council vote to elect all six of the councillors and the mayor. This differs from divided councils where the local government area is divided internally into ‘divisions’. In divided councils, electors still vote to elect a mayor to represent their entire local government area, but only vote to elect a councillor or councillors to represent the division they live within.

The change proposed was to divide the Shire into two multi-member divisions, with four councillors representing one division and two councillors representing the other division.

STATUS: Referral withdrawn

In October 2021, the Cook Shire Council resolved at its ordinary meeting that its current position is to remain undivided and that it no longer wished to proceed with its request to change its electoral arrangements. Council sent a letter to notify the Change Commission of its updated position.

Upon receiving this information, the Change Commission wrote to the Minister responsible for Local Government to seek advice about the continuation of the review considering these changed circumstances.

In December 2021, the Minister responsible for Local Government notified the Change Commission of the decision to withdraw the referral.