Having your say at meetings

Council and Committee Meetings now held in person

Woollahra Council will be holding Council and Committee meetings (i.e. Environmental Planning (EP), Finance, Community & Services (FC&S) and Strategic & Corporate (S&C) in person.

Meetings will be webcast and members of the public can watch and listen to meetings live online or dial in to listen to the meetings using a telephone.

Public participation online or by phone will be managed in accordance with meeting procedures.

• Details on how to watch and/or listen to the meeting live online are available on the relevant meeting pages:

• Council Meetings

• Environmental Planning Committee

• Finance, Community & Services Committee

• Strategic & Corporate Committee

• To register to address a Council Meeting

Members of the public will be given the opportunity to address the Councillors on local government related matters, excluding matters that are on the Council meeting agenda or any application already lodged with the Council for a decision and also, on General Managers & Officer's Reports which are listed on a Council Agenda.

The public forum will be in person and/or via audio-visual link.

Council will allow for registered people to address the Councillors for a maximum of three (3) minutes.

Public Forum - Items not on the Agenda

Council will allow members of the public to address a Council meeting on any local government related matter excluding matters that are:

- On the Council meeting agenda; or

- Any application already lodged with the Council for decision; or

- That criticises or complains about Councillors or Council staff.

To address Council on items not on the Agenda, you must complete a Public Forum Registration Form(PDF, 301KB) and submit this form to Council by 5.00pm on the Wednesday prior to the Council meeting.

Public Forum - Items on the Agenda for General Manager & Officers' Reports

Members of the public will be given the opportunity to address the Councillors on General Manager & Officers' Reports that have not previously been tabled at a Standing Committee meeting of Council, and which is listed on the Council meeting Agenda.

If you wish to address Council in relation to a General Managers & Officers' Report you must complete a Public Forum Registration Form(PDF, 291KB) and submit this form to Council by 10.00am on the day of the meeting. 

Requests that are received after 10.00am on the day of the Council meeting will not be accepted.

Once registered you will be forwarded information on how to join the meeting via email on the day of the meeting or you are invited to attend in person.

• To register to address a Committee meeting (pre-register by 10.00am on the day of the meeting)

To address a Committee Meeting on an Agenda item that is being considered at that meeting, members of the public must register by 10.00am on the day of the meeting by completing the Committee Meeting Registration Form.(PDF, 352KB) Public participation will be managed in accordance with the Code of Meeting Practice.

Once registered you will be forwarded information on how to join the meeting via email on the day of the meeting or you are invited to attend in person.

• To submit late correspondence (submit by 10.00am on the day of the meeting)
  Members of the public may submit late correspondence on an agenda item being considered at a Council or Committee Meeting. If you wish to make a written submission on an Item on the Agenda, please email your submission to records@woollahra.nsw.gov.au by 10.00am on the day of the meeting.
• To listen to a recording of the meeting (post-meeting)
  An audio recording of the meeting will be uploaded to Council’s website by 5.00pm on the next business day.

For further information please contact the Governance team on (02) 9391 7001.

Disclaimer:

By using conferencing technology or by teleconference, listening and/or speaking at a Council or Committee meeting, members of the public consent to their voice and personal information (including name and address) being recorded and publicly available on Council’s website. Councillors, staff and members of the public are advised that meetings are being live-streamed, accessible via a link from Council’s website.

By addressing and/or listening to a Council or Committee meeting, members of the public consent to their voice and personal information (including name and address) being recorded and publicly available on Council’s website. Accordingly, please ensure your address to Council is respectful and that you use appropriate language and refrain from making any defamatory statements or discriminatory comments.

Woollahra Council does not accept any liability for statements, comments or actions taken by individuals during a Council or Committee meeting. Any part of the meeting that is held in closed session will not be recorded.

People connecting to a meeting using conferencing technology or teleconference are reminded that under the Local Government Act 1993, the recording of meetings by a member of the public using any electronic recording device including a mobile phone or video camera is not permitted. Any person found recording without the permission of Council may be expelled from the meeting.

The recording of each meeting will be retained on Council’s website for a minimum period of 6 months. After that period has passed, recordings of meetings may be disposed of in accordance with the State Records Act 1998.

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Addresses to Council meetings (Public Forum)

Public Forum (Items not on the Agenda)

Members of the public will be given the opportunity to address the Councillors on any local government related matter, excluding matters that are on the Council meeting Agenda or any application already lodged with the Council for a decision. The public forum will be held in person or via audio-visual link.

Council will allow up to three (3) people to address the Councillors for a maximum of three (3) minutes each.

If you wish to address Council you must complete a Public Forum Registration Form(PDF, 301KB) and submit it to Council prior by 5:00pm on the Wednesday prior the Council meeting.

When the Public Forum part of the meeting is reached, the Mayor will invite the registered speakers to address the Councillors.

At the conclusion of the address the speaker will be requested to either return to their seat (if in person) or will be muted (if addressing via teleconferencing technology).

Only the name of each speaker and the topic they address will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

Public Forum (Items on the Agenda for General Manager & Officers' reports)

Members of the public will be given the opportunity to address the Councillors on General Manager & Officers' Reports which are listed on the Council meeting Agenda.  The public forum will be held in person or via audio-visual link.

Council will allow a person to speak on up to two (2) General Managers & Officers Reports, however a limit of two (2) speakers for and two (2) speakers against a General Managers & Officers Report, for a maximum of three (3) minutes each, in accordance with clauses 4.3 to 4.26 of the Code of Meeting Practice.

If you wish to address Council you must complete a Public Forum Registration Form(PDF, 291KB) and submit this form to Council by 10.00am on the day of the meeting.

When the Public Forum part of the meeting is reached, the Mayor will invite the registered speakers to address the Councillors.

Once your address has concluded and questions have been answered, please return to your seat at the conclusion of your address (if addressing in person) or please mute yourself via Zoom.

Please note: The General Manager or their delegate may refuse an application to speak at a public forum. The General Manager or their delegate must give reasons in writing for a decision to refuse an application.

Only the name of each speaker and the topic they address will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

See Having your say at meetings for more information on the Public Forum or call Council's Governance Department on 9391 7001.

Audio recording of Council and Committee Meetings

In accordance with the Local Government Act 1993 and Council's adopted Code of Meeting Practice, all Council (i.e. Ordinary and Extraordinary Council Meetings) and Committee Meetings (i.e. Environmental Planning Committee, Finance, Community & Services Community and the Strategic & Corporate Committee) from February 2020 are audio recorded and will be uploaded to Council's website.

Why we restrict some matters

Items on the Council meeting Agenda

Most matters that are considered by the Council at its ordinary meetings have already been the subject of consideration by a committee of the Council. These committee meetings are structured to allow for less formal debate and consideration of submissions from all parties that have an interest in a matter.

Applications already lodged with Council for decision

Council has in place a decision making process, which has checks, balances and safeguards. This process has been in place for some considerable time and provides procedural fairness and an opportunity for all interested parties to have their say and to hear what others have to say. The committee meetings are the appropriate place to make submissions.

Criticism or complaints about Councillors or staff

The Code of Conduct(PDF, 1MB) and our Complaints Policy provides a mechanism for dealing with such matters. The code and procedures are designed to ensure that issues are thoroughly considered and measured against the high standards of behaviour we expect of Councillors and staff. Criticism and complaints made about individuals impinge upon their reputation. An unsubstantiated claim may damage reputations and the Council meeting is not a proper forum to make such claims or to allow individuals to respond to such issues.

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Addresses to Committee meetings

Members of the public may address a Committee on any item listed on the business paper of the Committee. To address a Committee Meeting on an Agenda item that is being considered at that meeting, members of the public must register by 10.00am on the day of the meeting by completing the Committee Meeting Registration Form(PDF, 352KB). Public participation will be managed in accordance with the Code of Meeting Practice.

Once registered you will be forwarded information on how to join the meeting via email on the day of the meeting or you are invited to attend in person.

When an item is called for consideration, the Chairperson will ask whether there is anyone present who wishes to address the meeting. At this stage, each person will be invited to come forward and make their presentation.

If a large number of people wish to address a Committee meeting on a particular item, it will be at the discretion of the Chairperson to determine, with a view to fairness of representation, how many people may address the meeting.

Each person will be allowed to speak for three (3) minutes only. Members of the Committee may ask speakers questions or seek clarification of matters raised.

At the conclusion of the allotted three (3) minutes, the speaker is to resume their seat and take no further part in the debate unless specifically called to do so by the Chairperson.

After any submission, the Committee may ask Council staff to comment on the points put forward.

After considering all submissions and staff comments, the Committee will debate the matter and either make a decision or a recommendation to Council.

Audio recording of Council and Committee Meetings

In accordance with the Local Government Act 1993 and Council's adopted Code of Meeting Practice, all Council (i.e. Ordinary and Extraordinary Council Meetings) and Committee Meetings (i.e. Environmental Planning Committee, Finance, Community & Services Community and the Strategic & Corporate Committee) from February 2020 are audio recorded and will be uploaded to Council's website.

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Petitions

What is a petition?

A petition is generally a request for Council to take some sort of action. Any resident or group of residents may petition Council to take action. For example, petitions may ask Council to change an existing policy, a decision of the Council or take some other action. The subject of a petition must be a matter on which Council has the power to act. 

What should a petition contain?

A petition may be in hard copy or electronic format. A petition submitted to Council should:

• contain a clear and concise statement on each page covering the subject matter of the petition, including what course of action the petitioners want the Council to take;
• state the name, address and contact details of the main petition contact ('Head Petitioner');
• include the name, address and signature (or email address in the case of electronic petitions) of every person supporting the petition;
• be legible, concise, respectful and not offensive in its language;
• not contain alterations; and
• must contain at least two signatures.

If the petition does not identify a Head Petitioner, Council will assume the first signatory is the Head Petitioner. Unless advised otherwise, the Head Petitioner will be the only point of contact for ongoing communication with Council staff.

Electronic petitions

Council acknowledges the increased popularity of electronic petitions hosted by external platforms. Automatic updates received by Council in relation to electronic petitions will be forwarded to the Council staff who have responsibility for the matter(s) to which the petition relates and shall be treated as ordinary correspondence.

Petition organisers should provide clear contact details, including an email address, in an electronic petition so that Council staff are able to communicate with the Head Petitioner.

It is also recommended that petition organisers set a closing date if using an electronic petition format. This will then enable the Head Petitioner to collate the supporters' responses and lodge the completed petition with Council as one comprehensive submission.

Lodging a petition

Petitions should be forwarded to the Mayor or a Councillor for presentation at a Council Meeting. The Council will then determine what action is to be taken in relation to the petition and refer the petition to Council's relevant department for consideration.

If a petition is sent to Council by means other than directly to the Mayor or a Councillor, such as by post addressed to the General Manager, email to Records (including an incomplete electronic petition notification) or delivery to Council's Front Counter, it will be dealt with as ordinary correspondence and referred to the appropriate Council staff for consideration.

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Enquiries

Further information may be obtained by contacting Council's Governance Department on (02) 9391 7001.