Consultation on reforms to council meeting practices
The Office of Local Government is inviting feedback from the local government sector and others on proposed amendments to the Model Code of Meeting Practice for Local Councils in NSW (Model Meeting Code).
The amendments are part of the Government’s agenda to ensure that councillors are visibly in control of their councils, demonstrating to the community that decision making is genuinely local.
The reform of the code and procedures governing how councillors gather, debate and make decisions was flagged by the Minister for Local Government as part of the discussion paper issued in September, “Councillor conduct and meeting practice: a new framework”.
The feedback the Office of Local Government receives will be used to inform the amendments that are ultimately made to the Model Meeting Code.
It is anticipated that the new Model Meeting Code will be prescribed in early 2025.
The proposed amendments to the Model Meeting Code are the first tranche of reforms to the regulation of meetings. The second tranche will be legislated in 2025 as part of the measures implemented to reform the regulation of councillor conduct and will have a particular focus on behaviour at meetings.
Have your say!
The Office of Local Government has issued a consultation draft of the amended Model Meeting Code and accompanying paper to seek the views of the local government sector, key stakeholders and the community on the proposed amendments.
The proposed amendments to the Model Meeting Code are indicated in track changes in the consultation draft.
- A new model code of meeting practice – Consultation draft – PDF – 468KB
- Consultation draft of the new Model Code of Meeting Practice for Local Councils in NSW – PDF – 467KB
Submissions will be accepted until COB Friday 28 February 2025.
What are you being asked to do?
The paper outlines the key focus areas of the review. We are seeking your input on these matters through the questions asked in the paper and available in the online form.
We are also seeking your comments on the proposed amendments to the Model Meeting Code.
Feedback can be provided in 3 ways.
- Using the online submission form below
OR
- By email – olg@olg.nsw.gov.au
OR
- Post: Address – Office of Local Government, Locked Bag 3015, NOWRA NSW 2541
Submissions must be clearly labelled “Model Meeting Code amendments” and marked to the attention of the Office of Local Government’s Council Governance Team.
Information on privacy and confidentiality
When you give us your feedback, the Office of Local Government will be collecting some personal information about you, in particular:
- your name
- your email address
- the name of your organisation (if provided).
All feedback received through this consultation process may be made publicly available. Please do not include any personal information in your feedback that you do not want published.
As part of the consultation process, we may need to share your information with people outside the Office of Local Government, including other public authorities and government agencies. We may also use your email contact details to send you notifications about further feedback opportunities or the outcome of the consultation. You should also be aware there may be circumstances when OLG is required by law to release information (for example, in accordance with the requirements of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009. There is also a privacy policy located on the Office of Local Government’s website that explains how some data is automatically collected (such as your internet protocol (IP) address) whenever you visit the Office of Local Government’s website. The link to that policy is https://www.olg.nsw.gov.au/about-us/privacy-policy/.
Model Meeting Code Amendments – Online Submission Form