Virtual Meetings - Update to Governance Rules

Updated Governance Rules have now been endorsed.

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Council's Governance Rules have been updated to include the new legislated provisions relating to virtual council meetings. The following updates have been included:

  • Council meetings will normally be conducted in person
  • Council can resolve to meet in person and/or virtually/online
  • The Chief Executive Officer can determine if a Council Meeting is to be conducted wholly online (ie. health or safety risk to Councillors, staff and community).
  • Councillors can request to participate in Council Meetings virtually/online 
  • Councillors who need to participate virtually/online must place a request on a case by case basis to the Chief Executive Officer in writing, no later than 6 hours prior to the meeting
  • In the event that a meeting is conducted wholly online, public questions that have been received will be read out and answered on the night, as well as recorded in the minutes.

View the updated Governance Rules(PDF, 870KB) 

Discussions

The Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Act 2022 (the Amendment Act), received Royal Assent on 29 March 2022. These changes replace the COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) Act 2020 that allowed Councils to temporarily hold council meetings virtually.

These reforms will be incorporated into Division 2, Part 3 of the Local Government Act 2020, which relates to the procedures for Council decision making, including the holding of meetings (being council meetings, joint meetings of councils, delegated committee, and joint delegated committee meetings).

 

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