Local government in Australia

Local government in Australia is the lowest tier of government in Australia administered under the states and territories which in turn are beneath the federal tier. While local government is not initially mentioned in the Constitution of Australia, it is mentioned several times in the Annotated Constitution of Australia namely where "Municipal institutions and local government" appears in Annotation 447. "Power of the Parliament of a Colony" under "Residuary Legislative Powers" on pages 935 and 936.

Every state government also recognises local government in their respective constitutions. Unlike New Zealand, the US, Canada or the UK, there is only one level of local government in all states, with no distinction such as counties and cities. The local governing body is generally referred to as a council, and the territories governed are collectively referred to as "local government areas"; however, terms such as "city" or "shire" also have a geographic interpretation. There are currently 565 local councils in Australia.