Public forums at council meetings will remain, the Minister for Local Government, Wendy Tuckerman has guaranteed.
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There were concerns when it was revealed that the Review of the Councillor Misconduct Framework currently before the State Government included the proposal: 'Mandate that public forum sessions be separated from formal business agendas for council and committee meetings.'
The proposal has met with outrage from the Save Mortdale Village community group while Georges River Councillor Elise Borg condemned the move as trying to silence the community
Page 20 of the report, 'Focus on Civic Responsibility' includes a number of "areas of risk" that may be considered to prevent councillor misconduct.
"A clear risk area is where councillors interact with members of the public during meetings. This can occur at any meeting where a gallery is present and is even more likely where the council incorporates a public forum session within the council business agenda. This only invites disorder where controversial issues are aired," the report said.
Ms Tuckerman said the independent report prepared by Mr Gary Kellar PSM, contains 49 recommendations aimed at improving the integrity, transparency and accountability of the state's 1,200 local councillors.
"The Shadow Minister for Local Government Greg Warren seems to misunderstand the point of an independent report: to provide frank and fearless advice to Government for consideration on improving frameworks for the community," she said.
"Indeed, when he wrote to me last year, encouraging the Government to implement recommendations without delay, I fully expected him to provide constructive feedback.
"Let me be clear: the public's right to attend and observe council meetings is guaranteed under the Local Government Act. Any reforms proposed to the councillor conduct framework will not remove this right. The Government guarantees that this right will remain."
Georges River Councillor Elise Borg said, "The Minister's comments make me ever more concerned that the NSW Government supports silencing the community in Council Meetings. 'Attend' and 'Observe' council meetings could mean to sit in the gallery and watch.
"Can Minister Tuckerman also guarantee the public's right to 'participate' in Council Meetings as part of a 'Public Forum'? This is a vitally important part of our democracy."
