2019-10-14 General Committee Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                            14 OCTOBER 2019


REPORTS DIRECT TO GENERAL COMMITTEE


2                        PUBLIC QUESTION TIME GUIDELINE
DOCUMENT INFORM AT ION




Author                             Chief Executive Officer, Brett de Chastel
                                   CEO’s Office

Index                              ECM/ Subject/ Council Meetings General

Attachments                        1.    Draft Public Question Time Guideline



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Not applicable.

RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Chief Executive Officer to the General Committee Meeting
dated 14 October 2019 and adopt the Public Question Time Guideline provided as Attachment 1
to the report.


REPORT
On 15 August 2019, Council adopted a new set of Standing Orders for Council Meetings which
made the provision for a public question time to be held at Council’s Ordinary meetings. The
Standing Orders prescribed that “Public Question Time Guidelines must be adopted by Council
resolution and set out the purpose, format, obligations and requirements for the conduct of public
question time”.

The draft Public Question Time Guideline provided as Attachment 1 to this report has been
developed following research into the policies and procedures in place at other councils around
Australia.

As outlined in my report to Council in August 2019, feedback from other councils who have public
question time in place is that it is important to clearly articulate the purpose. Public question time
works best when used to raise genuine questions about a matter within the jurisdiction of
Council, to escalate a question where there has not been a response from Council regarding a
matter previously lodged and to seek an update on an issue currently being considered by
Council (e.g. an example might be a follow-up on a petition previously lodged). Public question
time should not be for grandstanding, political point scoring, lodging initial customer requests etc.
The attached draft Guideline has been developed with this in mind.

Previous Council Consideration
Ordinary Meeting Minutes, 15 August 2019, Item 3, Page 13
That Council note the report by the Chief Executive Officer to the Services & Organisation
Committee Meeting dated 6 August 2019 and:
A.                       Repeal Council’s current Standing Orders and adopt the new Standing Orders for Council
                         Meetings provided as Attachment 2 to the report subject to the following amendments:
                         26.3    A Councillor may make a request from, or through, the Chairperson for further
                                 information or ask a question:

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