Code of Meeting Practice

It's time for Albury Council to update its Code of Meeting Practice.  This will mean that Council will vote on the new code next week and it will be placed on exhibition so that the public can read it and make comments if they wish.

The last time Council adopted the Code was on 21st December 2009.  So what's different this time and does it matter?

There are some changes and, in my opinion, they take us just a little further away form openness and transparency and we should all be concerned about that.

The Division of Local Government has published a Meeting Practice Note which should be used as a guide for Councils and we have the Local Government Act 1993 and the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005 which are used to develop a council's Code of Meeting Practice.  The council's Code must conform with the requirements of the Act and Regulations.

The DLG Meeting Practice Note 2009 states in its introduction "meeting procedures contribute to good public decision-making and increase council's transparency and accountability to its community."  The new Code for Albury contains only minor changes but the changes reduce the amount of openness and the ability of a Councillor to raise matters in open forum.

Let me explain.  In the present Code we have s68 Matters Without Notice the purpose of which was;

• requests for officers to prepare reports or provide information
• to inform Council of specific matters and issues of importance.

Despite the item being called Matters Without Notice, the protocol was to inform the Mayor or Committee Chairman and the General Manager prior to the meeting. 

In the new Code this item will be changed to Notice of Urgent Business despite the fact that the existing Code contains s17(c) (ii) that allows urgent business to be put to the meeting without notice.

The change will prevent a Councillor raising general matters of community interest unless it is deemed to be urgent and there is no provision in this section of the new Code to determine how it will be determined if the matter is urgent.  Will the Mayor or Chairman decide and a motion of dissent from the ruling might have to be moved or will all Councillors vote to decide if the matter is urgent.

If this concerns you then read the policy when it goes on public display and make a submission.