Councils arrange for rubbish to be collected and for waste to be recycled. Looking after people Councils help members of the community by protecting health and by providing community services and recreation and cultural facilities. Councils also help their state's Emergency Services. Some councils run libraries, art galleries and theatres. They may provide public halls in the community.
Councils usually have areas for parks, swimming pools and tennis courts.
Councils ensure their area is healthy by doing such things as destroying rats, checking that restaurants and shops are clean, registering dogs and immunising people against diseases. Not all councils do all these things. Each council does the things that are most important to its own local community. This site was developed by Curriculum Corporation for the Commonwealth Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs under the Discovering Democracy Program.