Standing for the mayor as they enter the chamber is just one proposal from the NSW state government on how ‘a dignified and orderly’ council meeting that is ‘befitting to a chamber of democracy’ should be conducted.
A little ironic considering the behaviour of elected politicians in the state and federal parliaments we are shown during question time.
Model Code of Meeting Practice on exhibition
While the idea of how a meeting is conducted may seem a little dry, it is key to who gets a voice and how that voice is heard. Currently, the state government’s proposed model Code of Meeting Practice that would apply to all councils is on exhibition on Byron Shire Council’s (BSC) website.
It removes the opportunity for public access to pose questions or raise issues that aren’t on the agenda, questions from the public, and councillors asking questions of speakers.
The BSC has had a policy of allowing the community to ask general questions and submissions that are not on the agenda for decades and this is often a key way members of the public are able to raise questions directly with councillors.
BSC may have the option to vary parts of the proposed model code, as other councils have done.
Former Byron Shire Mayor and MLC Jan Barham told The Echo that, ‘putting a document like this online with no supporting documentation, FAQs as provided by the OLG, or media release so that people can make sense of the documents, is a lost opportunity for the community to understand and advocate for their rights to be heard.’
The document is also challenging to find on BSC’s website as it is not under Have Your Say as appears to be standard practice for BSC exhibition items.
However, the policy is currently on public exhibition until 4 December, with the code coming to Council for adoption at the 11 December meeting.
Greens Cr Elia Hauge told The Echo that, ‘Greens on Ccouncil are committed to doing everything we can to preserve the way Byron Shire Council encourages the public to make their voice heard in Council meetings, and we’re looking at multiple options for how we do that despite the state government’s proposed restrictions.’
‘These changes would silence community members who want to raise urgent local issues that aren’t yet on Council’s radar, and prevent the meaningful dialogue between councillors and community that has been a hallmark of Byron’s democratic culture.
‘Vibrant public participation has always been a strength of the Byron Shire. That’s why I encourage as many people as possible to make a submission on the draft code to help us shape how we implement these changes locally.’
Make a submission
You can access the Draft Code of Meeting Practice public exhibition here: www.byron.nsw.gov.au/Council/Report-Requests-Feedback/Public-Notices/Draft-Code-of-Meeting-Practice.
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