Community Questions - Guidelines (formal)

1. There must be a public question time at each Community Questions and Hearing Committee meeting to enable members of the public to submit questions to Council. A maximum time block of 15 minutes will be allocated to receive public question time. This may be extended at the discretion of the Chair.

2. Sub-clause (1) does not apply during any period when a meeting is closed to members of the public in accordance with section 89(2) of the Act.

3. Public question time will be conducted in accordance with any guidelines adopted by Council from time to time.

4. Any written question must be submitted: a) electronically; or b) lodged at Council's offices or a service centre prior to 11am on the day of the Community Questions and Hearings Committee meeting.

5. No person may submit more than two questions at any one meeting.

6. The Mayor must read to those present at the meeting a question which has been submitted.

7. The person who submitted the question needs to be present in the gallery at the time when the question is due to be read unless, they are not able to attend due to exceptional circumstances.

8. A question may be disallowed by the Chair if the Chair determines that it:
  • relates to a matter outside the duties, functions and powers of Council;
  • is defamatory, indecent, abusive, offensive, irrelevant, trivial or objectionable in language or substance;
  • deals with a subject matter already answered;
  • is aimed at embarrassing a Councillor or a member of Council staff;
  • relates to personnel matters; f) relates to the personal hardship of any resident or ratepayer;
  • relates to industrial matters;
  • relates to contractual matters;
  • relates to proposed developments;
  • relates to legal advice;
  • relates to matters affecting the security of Council property; or
  • relates to any other matter which Council considers would prejudice Council or any person.
9. Any question which has been disallowed by the Chair must be made available to any other Councillor upon request

10. All questions and answers must be as brief as possible, and discussion may be allowed for the purposes of clarification.

11. Like questions may be grouped together and a single answer provided.

12. The Mayor, Chief Executive Officer or delegate will respond to a question.

13. The question may be taken on notice. If the question is taken on notice or the person is not present in the gallery a written response will be provided within 10 working days of the Committee meeting.

14. The Chief Executive Officer may advise Council that it is his or her opinion that the reply to a question should be given in a meeting closed to members of the public. The Chief Executive Officer (as the case may be) must state briefly the reason why the reply should be so given and, unless Council resolves to the contrary, the reply to such question must be so given.

Consultation has concluded