THE Minns Labor Government is investigating reforms to strengthen local government, announcing changes to the way council meetings are conducted to ensure greater transparency and increase community confidence in council decision-making.
All councils are required to adopt a code of meeting practice based on the Model Meeting Code issued by the Office of Local Government.
The government has now released a consultation draft of amendments to the Model Meeting Code for public comment.
The changes aim to simplify the Model Meeting Code and ensure councillors are making decisions in the full view of the communities they are elected to represent.
They also aim to increase the dignity of the council chamber and remove the general manager’s involvement in council politics.
Key changes, some of which have been recommended by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) include:
Preventing councils from holding private councillor briefing sessions;
Requiring information considered at closed meetings to be made public after it ceases to be confidential;
Requiring councils to give reasons when making decisions on planning matters that depart from staff recommendations;
De-politicising the role of the general manager by removing the requirement for them to prepare reports on councillors’ notices of motion;
Expanding the powers of the mayor to expel councillors from meetings for acts of disorder; and
Requiring councillors to stand when the mayor enters and when addressing the meeting;
Changes to the Model Meeting Code were flagged in a discussion paper outlining the government’s proposed reforms to the councillor code of conduct system.
Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig said Council meetings are where a council’s most important decisions should be made.
“It concerns me that these decisions are increasingly being made behind closed doors in private briefings, locking out the community and protecting councils from public scrutiny,” Mr Hoenig said.
“As a former mayor, I want to see all councils conducting their business in an open and public forum, where communities can engage with their council on issues that directly affect them.
“The current Model Meeting Code has become unwieldly and is prone to drawing the general manager into political disputes which should be left to elected councillors to resolve.
“These changes are part of the government’s commitment to restoring public trust in local government which has been eroded by years of neglect and a cultural shift towards secrecy over public service.”
Submissions will be accepted until Friday, February 28, 2025.
To learn more and provide feedback, go to: https://www.olg.nsw.gov.au/councils/governance/model-code-of-meeting-practice/reforms-to-the-model-code-of-meeting-practice/
I would be concerned (as a former Mayor) expecting my fellow Councillors to stand when I arrived, and the expulsion of a Councillor should definitely NOT be left to the whim of 1 fellow Councillor (being Mayor) this would give rise for petty “get square” removals, definitely requiring a vote of Council and more scrutiny is required around the reasons for Closed Council as this is a cop out for making unpopular and possibly unlawful decisions.
Considering the number of mayors who have been the cause of problems in recent council issues, councilors should not have to stand for the mayor, nor should a single councillor (the mayor) have the ability to expel a fellow councillor.
All council meetings should be recorded from start to finish. Public versions can have the closed council portion removed, but the meeting can remain on record as evidence where a code of conduct breach occurs during closed council.
Stand for the Mayor ……… sheer lunacy ………. as is increasing the power of mayors to expel councillors ……. that just opens the door wide for meeting stacking and petty revenge games.
Bill, you need a like button on your comments …… I agree wholeheartedly with the previous two comments.
100% Correct