Section 60 of the Local Government Act 2020 (the Act) requires Council to develop, adopt and keep in force a Governance Rules.

With further legislative provisions being proclaimed and a new Council elected soon after their implementation, a review was foreshadowed to be undertaken within 12 months of their adoption.

Since adopting the Governance Rules, Council have identified opportunities for improvements to ensure relevant and up to date governance practices.

The Governance Rules has been amended by Officers and Councillors detailing common issues. A summary of the key changes identified as part of this review include:

• Clarification of business for the conduct of the Election of Mayor with:
  • the removal of election report as this is managed external and not required to be completed in time for initial Mayoral election;
  • removal of rule to elect temporary Chairperson as inconsistent with the Act that requires the Chief Executive Officer to preside over the election of the Mayor;
• Changes to Public Question time and submissions to be received in advance to enable community members receive full and timely responses at Council Meeting;
• Clarity on the process for asking questions during debate to ensure good governance in decision making;
• An additional rule to provide consistent and clear approach for inclusion of bereavement motions into a Council meeting;
• Changes to management of conflict of interest register to ensure coherent approach with principles and statutory obligations;
• Clarity on Advisory committees reporting obligations to be directed by the relevant Terms of Reference instrument

The public was invited to provide a submission on the Governance Rules, the consultation period is open from Thursday, 23 September until 9:00am Thursday, 14 October 2021. Submissions have now closed.

For any questions regarding the Governance Rules, please contact Cameron Montgomery at Governance@ballarat.vic.gov.au or 03 5320 5503