Addressing Council

Guidelines – Request to Address Council

Addressing Council

Public Forum is to be held prior to meetings of council for the purpose of hearing oral submissions from members of the public on items of business to be considered at the meeting.

Council will be holding Public Forums from 6:00pm to 6:30pm prior to the commencement of the Council Meeting at 6:30pm.

Applications to address Council

A member of the public may be granted permission to address the Council during Public Forum where such a request is received by the General Manager (or his delegate) no later than midday on the day of the Council meeting.

This provision is subject to: –

• Public Forum will be for a period of no more than thirty (30) minutes, unless otherwise determined by Council.
• Each speaker being permitted to address Public Forum for up to three (3) minutes.
• Each speaker being limited to making a statement on items on the agenda only.
• The proceedings of Public Forum are live streamed.
• Council accepts no responsibility for any defamatory comments made by the speaker in respect of anything said or any material presented to the Meeting.

Addressing Council – Applications Process

All requests are to be made to the Executive Assistant to the Mayor and General Manager by midday on the day of the Council meeting via the Council website ‘Addressing Council’ link: https://council.lithgow.com/council/council-meetings/addressing-council/ .

Applicants shall state:

• Their name, address, email and contact telephone number;
• Organisation or group they are representing (if applicable);
• Details of the issue to be addressed and the item number of the report in the Business Paper; and
• Whether they are opposing or supporting the issue or matter (if applicable).

Replies to Speakers

Where an address relates to an issue of general interest, the Mayor or General Manager may provide a reply to the speaker at the conclusion of the address.

The Chairperson and Council staff shall not be obliged to provide a response to the speaker’s statement.

Conduct of Speakers

In accordance with the mandatory requirements of the NSW Local Government Code of Meeting Practice, clause 15.20, members of the public attending a meeting of Council –

(a) must remain silent during the meeting unless invited by the Chairperson to speak,

(b) must not bring flags, signs or protest symbols to the meeting, and

(c) must not disrupt the meeting.

Speakers should conduct themselves with due respect to the Council and observe the Code of Conduct and Code of Meeting Practice, (i.e. not disrupt the conduct of the meeting and to treat all people with respect, and courtesy, and not make defamatory comments). In the event that a speaker does not conduct themselves accordingly, the Chairperson may request the speaker to apologise, desist from the inappropriate behaviour, return to the public gallery and/ or otherwise enact provisions of Council’s Code of Meeting Practice.

Members of the public are not permitted to use the Public Forum for the purpose of abusing, vilifying, insulting, threatening, intimidating, or harassing Councillors, Council staff or other members of the public. Conduct of this nature will be deemed to be an act of disorder and the person engaging in such behaviour will be ruled out of order by the Chairperson and may be expelled from the Council Meeting.

Members of the public will not be permitted to raise matters or provide information that involves:

(a)     personnel matters concerning particular individuals (other than councillors),

(b)     the personal hardship of any resident or ratepayer,

(c)     information that would, if disclosed, confer a commercial advantage on a person with whom the council is conducting (or proposes to conduct) business,

(d)     commercial information of a confidential nature that would, if disclosed:

(i)      prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied it, or

(ii)     confer a commercial advantage on a competitor of the council, or

(iii)     reveal a trade secret,

(e)     information that would, if disclosed, prejudice the maintenance of law,

(f)      matters affecting the security of the council, councillors, council staff or council property,

(g)     advice concerning litigation, or advice that would otherwise be privileged from production in legal proceedings on the ground of legal professional privilege,

(h)     information concerning the nature and location of a place or an item of Aboriginal significance on community land,

(i)      alleged contraventions of the council’s code of conduct.