Nominate for the Behavioural Standards Panel
The Behavioural Standards Panel is an independent statutory body established under the Local Government Act 1999 responsible for investigating and determining complaints of misbehaviour by council members. The Panel is separate from both councils and LGA, with members appointed by the Governor at the recommendation of the Minister.
Eligibility
Applications are being sought from suitably qualified persons for appointment to the Panel.
The legislation requires that the three members of the Panel have qualification, knowledge, expertise and experience in the following areas:
- local government or public administration
- law
- administrative or disciplinary investigation
- industrial relations
- dispute resolution, conflict management, human resource management or organisational psychology.
The Minister for Local Government is also seeking persons who may be able and willing to be appointed as acting members of the Panel, during occasions where conflicts of interest arise for Panel Members.
Members of the Panel must not be current employees or elected members of a council.
About you
Nominees to the Panel should have additional desirable attributes including:
- experience in and an understanding of the local government sector
- an understanding of quasi-judicial bodies
- experience in managing conflict between a group of elected persons in a decision-making environment
- experience or qualifications as a mediator, arbitrator or conciliator
- good communication and conflict resolution skills.
Selection process
In accordance with section 42 of the Legislation Interpretation Act 2021 LGA must submit a panel of 3 nominees to the Minister. The panel must include at least one man and one woman.
The LGA Appointments and Nominations to Outside Bodies Policy sets out the process to examine nominees with respect to the responsibilities and strategic importance of the outside body.
Sitting fees
Sitting fees are $161.00 per hour.
As at 31 July 2025, along with the increased hourly sitting fees Panel Members will be provided with an annual attraction/retention allowance of $7,200.
This is not a full-time position. Meetings are convened on an as needs basis. The sitting fees for the Panel have been set by the Minister for Local Government.
How to nominate
To submit your nomination, please email the following documents to nominationscoordinator@lga.sa.gov.au:
- a cover letter, including your response to the selection criteria as outline in the Role Description
- a current CV (no more than 2 pages).
Applications close: 5:00pm Friday 12 September 2025
Following the close of nominations, the Nominations Coordinator will be in touch with nominees to advise of next steps.
About the Behavioural Standards Panel
The Behavioural Standards Panel was established in 2022 under section 262F of the Local Government Act 1999.
The Panel represents a significant part of the conduct management framework for councils, which includes state-wide standards of expected behaviour and values for all council members.
The Panel comprises a Presiding Member nominated in conjunction with the Local Government Minister, and two representatives, one nominated by LGA and one nominated by the Minister.
In April this year, former Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis was appointed Presiding Member.
The primary function of the Panel is to adjudicate when elected members of councils have breached behavioural requirements. The Panel has statutory powers to impose sanctions on council members where a breach of behavioural requirements is found. The Panel will convene as required, usually after a matter has been referred from a council.
More information about the Panel can be found on the Behavioural Standards Panel website.
More information
Sidonie Oliver, Nominations Coordinator
Email: nominationscoordinator@lga.sa.gov.au
Phone: (08) 8224 2130