New rules for Council meetings

Published on 03 August 2023

Council meetings at Nillumbik will operate under a revised set of rules following adoption of new meeting procedures last week.

A review of Council’s meeting procedures was prompted by a change to the Local Government Act 2020 to hold virtual meetings.

The draft Governance Rules - Meeting Procedures were released for community consultation in March before their endorsement last month.

All councils are required to have a set of rules that govern how council meetings are conducted.

Some of the Governance Rules – Meeting Procedures changes include:

• Councillors being able to attend and participate at Council Meetings electronically (which became necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic)
• Provisions for Public Question Time and Notice of Motion to provide greater clarity
• Greater flexibility to enable members of the public to address Council Meetings
• Amendments to processes to support access, equity and inclusion
• Clearer language and definitions.

At last week’s Council Meeting, Councillors agreed to retain the Prayer at the start of meetings, however directed officers to review processes to allow for multi-faith prayer participation to ensure Council remains inclusive and respectful of all people and different faiths.

Mayor Ben Ramcharan said the Governance Rules were well written and a vast improvement on the previous rules.

A full copy of the Governance Rule ­– Meeting Procedures is available on Council’s website.