An annual report is a comprehensive report on a company's activities throughout the preceding year. Local Government annual reports are intended to give ratepayers and other interested parties information about the Council's activities and financial performance.
Some of the contents of a annual report may be specified within the relevant state Local Government Act.
Queensland
Section 45 of the Queensland Local Government Act 2009 states that:
A local government’s annual report for each financial year must—
(a) contain a list of all the business activities that the local government conducted during the financial year; and
(b) identify the business activities that are significant business activities; and
(c) state whether or not the code of competitive conduct was applied to the significant business activities, and if the code was not applied, the reason why it was not applied; and
(d) state whether any of the significant business activities were not conducted in the preceding financial year, i.e. whether there are any new significant business activities.
Victoria
Section 131 of the Victorian Local Government Act 1989 states that;
(1) A Council must in respect of each financial year prepare an annual report
containing-
(a) a report of its operations during the financial year;
(b) audited standard statements for the financial year;
(c) audited financial statements for the financial year;
(d) a copy of the performance statement prepared under section 132; and
(e) a copy of the report on the performance statement prepared under
section 133;
(f) any other matter required by the regulations.
(2) The report of operations must-
(a) be prepared in a form and contain information determined by the
Council to be appropriate; and
(b) contain any other information required by the regulations.
(3) The standard statements in the annual report and the financial statements
must-
(a) be prepared in the manner and form prescribed by the regulations;
(b) be submitted in their finalised form to the auditor for auditing as
soon as possible after the end of the financial year;
(c) be certified in the manner prescribed.
(4) The standard statements in the annual report must show any variations from
the standard statements in the budget as prepared under section 127 and, if
the variation is material, explain the reason for the variation.
(5) The auditor must not sign the auditor's report concerning the standard
statements or the financial statements unless subsection (3)(c) has been
complied with.
(6) The annual report must be submitted to the Minister within 3 months of the
end of each financial year or such longer period as the Minister may permit in
a particular case.
(7) The Council must not submit the standard statements or the financial
statements to its auditor or the Minister unless it has passed a resolution
giving its approval in principle to the standard statements and the financial
statements.
(8) The Council must authorise 2 Councillors to certify the standard
statements and the financial statements in their final form after any changes
recommended, or agreed to, by the auditor have been made.
(9) If a Council fails to submit its annual report within the time allowed
under subsection (6), the Secretary must ensure that details of the failure
are published in the annual report of the Department.
(10) After the annual report has been submitted to the Minister, the Council
must give public notice that the annual report has been prepared and can be
inspected at the Council office.
(11) A copy of the annual report must be available for inspection by the
public at-
(a) the Council office and any district offices; and
(b) any other place required by the regulations.
(12) After the Council has received a copy of the report of the auditor under
section 9 of the Audit Act 1994, the Council must-
(a) give public notice that the Council has received the copy and that the
copy can be inspected at the Council office;
(b) ensure that the copy is available for public inspection at any time
that the Council office is open to the public.