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Code of Meeting Practice

About the project

You’re invited to review our draft Code of Meeting Practice (draft Code)and make a submission by 11 August 2025.

The draft Code supports good governance and:

  • ensures meetings of Council and its Committees are conducted in an orderly, consistent and efficient manner
  • ensures meetings of Council and its Committees are conducted according to the principles of procedural fairness and due process
  • assists with the conduct of discussion and debate during Council and Committee meetings
  • ensures all Councillors understand their rights and obligations during Council and Committee meetings
  • ensures Councillors have an equal opportunity to participate fully in meetings and that meetings provide a positive environment without malice, avoiding insulting, improper or defamatory statements.

Council is required to review, exhibit and adopt a code of meeting practice within the first 12 months following an ordinary election of councillors.

Principles of the Code

The draft Code is underpinned by the following principles. 

Council and Committee meetings should be:

Transparent: Decisions are made in a way that is open and accountable

Informed: Decisions are made based on relevant, quality information 

Inclusive: Decisions respect the diverse needs and interests of the local community

Principled: Decisions are informed by the principles prescribed under Chapter 3 of the Local Government Act 1993

Trusted: The community has confidence that Councillors and staff act ethically and make decisions in the interests of the whole community 

Respectful: Councillors, staff and meeting attendees rreat each other with respect

Effective: Meetings are well organised, effectively run and skillfully chaired

Orderly: Councillors, staff and meeting attendees behave in a way that contributes to the orderly conduct of the meeting. 

Now on public exhibition

You're invited to make a submision before 11 August 2025

Documents

FAQ

The only changes proposed are minor updates to versioning and the 'Controlled Document Information' towards the end of the document. 

Council is required to review, exhibit and adopt a code of meeting practice within the first 12 months following an ordinary election of councillors.

To comply with this timeframe, we are exhibiting Council’s current Code of Meeting Practice, with only the minor amendments outlined above.

This is because the NSW Office of Local Government is undertaking broader updates to the Councillor Conduct Framework, including the Model Code of Meeting Practice, which are yet to be issued.

A further review of the Code of Meeting Practice will be conducted following the release of the new Model Code of Meeting Practice.

Submissions must be made in writing and received by 11 August 2025.  You can choose to:

  • provide written feedback via the online submission form on this website
  • email [email protected] with the subject heading 'Draft Code of Meeting Practice’
  • Write to Lake Macquarie City Council Attn: Council Liaison, Box 1906, Hunter Region Mail Centre, NSW, 2310.

Hard copies of the draft Code of Meeting Practice are available to view at all Lake Mac Libraries branches.

Your submission can be as short or as long as you wish,

Ideally, you will express your level of support for the proposal and provide detailed and specific feedback. The feedback will be reviewed by staff and later presented to Council to make an informed decision.

Should multiple submissions be received from a single resident regarding this project, the feedback will be reviewed by staff and counted as one submission when reporting back to Council.

Feedback may result in changes being made to the draft Code of Meeting Practice prior to a report being prepared for Council.

You will be notified again, prior to Council considering the matter, which will include a link to the Council report containing a summary of submissions and how feedback was considered.

Who's listening

  • Madeleine Koosmen
    Coordinator Council Liaison
    Lake Macquarie City Council