The primary role of a councillor is to focus on the policies and the delivery of services needed now and in the future by their local government community. The role of councillors is to provide strategic direction, not to manage the internal day-to-day administrative operations of the local government. Their role is to steer rather than row.

The 'grassroots' nature of local government offers councillors an opportunity to have a major influence on their area. Councillors are the executive arm of local government. The day-to-day operation of the council is the role of the chief executive officer and council staff.

Many people who become councillors already have a high level of involvement in community organisations. Once they become a councillor they take on a higher level of accountability and scrutiny by the public.

Individually and collectively, councillors are accountable to the community they serve. Councillors must ensure there is no conflict, or possible conflict, between their private interests and the honest performance of their role to serve the public interest.

Legislation extracts

• Local Government Act 2009 – Responsibilities of councillors
  
  

  12 Responsibilities of councillors (1) A councillor must represent the current and future interests of the residents of the local government area. (2) All councillors of a local government have the same responsibilities, but the mayor has some extra responsibilities. (3) All councillors have the following responsibilities—the policies and goals of the local government; and takes part in making decisions for achieving the goals and implementing the policies of the local government. (a) ensuring the local government— (i) discharges its responsibilities under this Act; and (ii) achieves its corporate and community plans; and (iii) complies with all laws that apply to local governments; (b) providing high quality leadership to the local government and the community; (c) participating in council meetings, policy development, and decision making, for the benefit of the local government area; (d) being accountable to the community for the local government’s performance. (4) The mayor has the following extra responsibilities— (a) leading and managing meetings of the local government at which the mayor is the chairperson, including managing the conduct of the participants at the meetings; (b) proposing the adoption of the local government’s budget; (c) liaising with the chief executive officer on behalf of the other councillors; (d) leading, managing, and providing strategic direction to, the chief executive officer in order to achieve the high quality administration of the local government; (e) directing the chief executive officer, in accordance with the local government’s policies; (f) conducting a performance appraisal of the chief executive officer, at least annually, in the way that is decided by the local government (including as a member of a committee, for example); (g) ensuring that the local government promptly provides the Minister with the information about the local government area, or the local government, that is requested by the Minister; (h) being a member of each standing committee of the local government; (i) representing the local government at ceremonial or civic functions. (5) A councillor who is not the mayor may perform the mayor’s extra responsibilities only if the mayor delegates the responsibility to the councillor. (6) When performing a responsibility, a councillor must serve the overall public interest of the whole local government area.

• Local Government Act 2009 - Use of information by councillors
  
  

  171 Use of information by councillors (1) A person who is, or has been, a councillor must not use information that was acquired as a councillor to— (a) gain, directly or indirectly, a financial advantage for the person or someone else; or (b) cause detriment to the local government. Maximum penalty—100 penalty units or 2 years imprisonment. (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to information that is lawfully available to the public. (3) A councillor must not release information that the councillor knows, or should reasonably know, is information that is confidential to the local government. Note— A contravention of subsection (3) is misconduct that is dealt with by the tribunal.