Measuring the costs of legislative compliance

This project aimed to provide councils with an understanding of the costs and savings associated with legal compliance with statutory obligations. This is to help councils make informed decisions in their ongoing budgeting and financial planning.

Outcomes

This project has culminated in a comprehensive report that assesses the Cost of Compliance for South Australian Councils, a crucial aspect for our local and state governments to consider.

The report provides evidence-based understanding of the real cost of service delivery. It may be useful background for local and state government collaboration, which can lead to projects that maximise value to communities and minimise the expenditure of public monies.

Through this report, councils can better understand their cost drivers, enabling more accurate resource allocation to regulatory compliance requirements. This will give councils a more precise understanding of the proper resources available for service delivery.

The consultant produced valuable research measuring the costs to councils of compliance with State Government requirements. The outcome was hindered by fewer than expected councils completing the survey. However, the consultant was able to extrapolate a number for the whole local government sector.

Final report

The final report for this project will be made available on this page once released.