20-21 Further relaxation of restrictions on attendance at council and committee meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic
| Category: Circular to Councils | Status: Active |
| Circular Details: 20-21 / 16 June 2020 / A706741 | Contact: Council Governance Team/ 02 4428 4100/ olg@olg.nsw.gov.au |
| Previous Circular: 20-17 | Attachments: Nil |
| Who should read this: Councillors / General Managers / Council governance staff | Action required: Council to Implement |
| PDF Version: | Council Circular 20-21 – PDF |
What’s new or changing
- The Minister for Health and Medical Research, the Hon. Brad Hazzard MP (the Minister), made the Public Health (COVID-19 Restrictions on Gathering and Movement) Order (No 3) 2020 on 12 June 2020.
- The new Public Health Order increases the number of persons who can attend council and committee meetings in addition to councillors and staff.
What this will mean for your council
- Councillors and council staff may attend council and committee meetings in person. However, councils must allow councillors and staff to attend and participate in meetings by audio visual links where it is reasonably practicable to do so.
- Members of the public are not permitted to attend meetings (other than for the purposes of work) if this means that the total number of people attending meetings (including councillors and staff) exceed 20. More than 20 councillors and staff may attend meetings subject to appropriate social distancing.
- Where councils exclude members of the public from meetings, they must livestream their meetings using audio-visual links to satisfy the requirement under section 10 of the Local Government Act 1993 for members of the public to be permitted to “attend” meetings.
- Councils must not allow persons to attend meetings if the size of the meeting venue is insufficient to ensure there is 4 square metres of space for each person attending the meeting.
Key points
- A failure to comply with a direction in a Public Health Order is an offence under Section 10 of the Public Health Act 2010 that carries a maximum penalty of imprisonment for 6 months or a fine of up to $11,000 (or both) plus a further $5,500 fine each day the offence continues.
Where to go for further information
- For further information please contact the Council Governance Team on 02 4428 4100 or by email at olg@olg.nsw.gov.au.
- More information on the new Public Health Order is available here.
- For more specific guidance on compliance with the Public Health Order, contact the NSW Police Force.
Tim Hurst
Where to go for further information
- For further information please contact the Council Governance Team on 02 4428 4100 or by email at olg@olg.nsw.gov.au.
- More information on the new Public Health Order is available here.
- For more specific guidance on compliance with the Public Health Order, contact the NSW Police Force.
Tim Hurst
Deputy Secretary
Local Government, Planning and Policy