SACAT hears and determines disciplinary actions against local government councillors under the Local Government Act 1999.

What can SACAT do?

Under the Act SACAT is given the power to:

  • reprimand the person
  • impose a fine not exceeding $15,000
  • require the person to:
    • attend a specified course of training or instruction
    • apologise or take other steps
    • reimburse the council
  • suspend the person from office for a period not exceeding six months
  • disqualify the person from office
  • disqualify the person from being a member of a council, council committee, or subsidiary of a council for a period not exceeding five years.

Applying for disciplinary action

When applying to SACAT you must be in a position to:

  • identify the legislative provision(s) you rely on
  • state and describe the conduct said to justify the disciplinary findings, and identify the relevant legislative provisions relied upon
  • identify the facts, acts or omissions alleged to constitute the conduct that justifies the disciplinary finding
  • provide any supporting documents
  • pay any relevant application fee.

  1. Start an online application .
  2. In the keyword field in Step 2, type the words ‘local government’ as shown below
  3. Scroll down to select the correct application type as per step 3. If you are not sure you have selected the correct application type, you can hover over the ‘question mark’ on the right-hand side to see a brief description.

There is a filing fee applicable for this type of application.

Payment can be made online by credit card at the time of completing the online form, or by using one of the other options outlined in the payment section of the application form.

Current fees and information about payment methods and fee waiver options

I need more help

If you have further questions call SACAT on 1800 723 767.

A staff member from SACAT can also help you complete your application over the phone.

SACAT also has jurisdiction to review certain decisions made by a local council.