Queensland local government underwent the most historic reform in history during 2007.

The need for local government reform in Queensland was an issue first raised by the local government sector itself.

In 2005 the Local Government Association of Queensland, concerned about local government sustainability, instigated a reform of local government, seeking partnership from the State.

118 councils agreed to investigate their long-term future, through the Size, Shape and Sustainability (SSS) initiative, however the program failed to deliver timely, meaningful reform.

In March 2007, the Minster for Local Government wrote to all Mayors asking them to assess progress of the Size, Shape and Sustainability (SSS) program, what they believed the SSS reform agenda could achieve and in what timeframe.

The responses from councils are publicly available, and they clearly show that substantial local government reform was not going to be achieved through the SSS process before the 2008 local government elections.

The Queensland Treasury Corporation prepared financial sustainability reviews for 105 Queensland councils. 40% were found to be in a 'financially weak', 'financially very weak' or 'financially distressed' position.

Other reports by independent bodies such as the Queensland Auditor-General, PricewaterhouseCoopers and McGrath Nichol highlighted similar financial problems with Queensland's local government sector.

To ensure all Queenslanders have access to a strong, financially-secure local government, the Government implemented the State-wide local government reform program.

The Queensland Government established an independent Local Government Reform Commission to make recommendations on the most appropriate structure and boundaries for local government in Queensland. This is the same process used to determine State and Federal election boundaries. Read the Commission's recommendations.

All local governments were reviewed by the independent Commission, excluding Brisbane City Council.

On 27 July 2007, the Commission provided its recommendations to the Queensland Government on the name, class, boundary and electoral arrangements for the new local government areas in Queensland.

The Queensland Government accepted the independent Commission's boundary recommendations, which will reduce the number of councils in Queensland from 157 to 73 at the council elections on 15 March 2008.

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