Annual report for local government activities under the Food Act 2006

The 2023-24 Annual report for local government activities under the Food Act 2006 provides information on food regulatory activities under the Food Act 2006 (Food Act) undertaken by local governments in Queensland for the 2023-24 financial year.

Key findings from the report can be viewed on the interactive dashboard Key Findings - 2023-24 Local government reporting.

Local Government Areas (LGAs)

In Queensland, there are 77 local governments and one Town Authority (Weipa), which is administered by the mining company Rio Tinto. The Weipa Town Authority acts in the role of a Local Authority, with staff that would normally be associated with a local government. Therefore, for the purposes of this report, Weipa Town Authority is considered as a local government.

Download a map of local government areas.

Half of Queensland local governments have a population of over 10,000, including Brisbane City Council, which houses approximately one quarter of the Queensland population. Accordingly, there is major variation in the distribution of food businesses, the capacity of local governments and other factors that may limit regional comparisons.

Targeted compliance and regulatory actions undertaken by local governments are determined by local priorities and are not prescribed by the State. This provides local government with the discretion to target regulatory compliance activities within their boundaries and contributes to the variation in food safety compliance activities between local governments.

Report methodology

The methodology for collecting the data consists of a self-reporting survey that may be subject to misclassification or user error. While care has been taken to clarify potential data discrepancies, some errors may not be easily identified and may therefore remain.

Report limitations

While this report provides activity data on select types of regulatory action undertaken, it does not include a full range of strategies and tools (such as voluntary food safety training and educational/promotional food safety strategies) that regulators may use to assist and engage with food businesses to achieve and maintain compliance with the Food Act.

The data also does not take into account that inspection, complaint and enforcement activity data may include food businesses that do not require a licence.