Draft Code of Meeting Practice

The NSW Government is requiring all councils to produce a new Code of Meeting Practice based upon a Model Code. Councils must ensure that their new Code complies with the provisions of the Model Code and have been given until 14 June 2019 to adopt their new code

On 18 December 2018, the Office of Local Government (OLG) released Circular 18-45 notifying councils of the prescription and commencement of a new Model Code of Meeting Practice to apply to all councils across NSW. All NSW councils are required to adopt a new Code of Meeting Practice based upon the provisions set out in the new Model Code of Meeting Practice.

The Circular noted that the Model Meeting Code has two elements consisting of:

• mandatory provisions that reflect the existing meetings provisions of the Act and update and enhance the meetings provisions previously prescribed under the Regulation to reflect contemporary meetings practice by councils.
• non-mandatory provisions that cover areas of meetings practice that are common to most councils but where there may be a need for some variation in practice between councils based on local circumstances. The non-mandatory provisions also operate to set a benchmark based on what OLG sees as being best practice.

The draft Code contains mandatory provisions (black text); non-mandatory provisions that Council proposes to include (red text); and non-mandatory provisions that Council proposes to not include (red struck-out). Blue text represents provisions for joint organisations that do not apply to Council.

A consultation draft will be placed on exhibition for a period of 28 days from 15 February - 15 March 2019 with a further 15 days for written submissions from the community. Submissions will be included in a report to either the April or May Ordinary Council meeting for consideration before final adoption of the new Code.