Public Forum provides an opportunity for the public to speak on any item on Council’s agenda.
Council will hold a Public Forum at 3pm on the day of the Ordinary Meeting of Council. Public forums may also be held prior to extraordinary council meetings and meetings of committees of the Council.
Signed forms are to be submitted no later than 4.30pm two business days before the meeting is to be held. This will generally be on the Monday in the week of the Council meeting.
How can the public address the Forum?
- All parts of this application form must be completed and the form must be signed in order to be accepted (this can be an electronic signature).
- To ensure an equal opportunity for applicants, the application form will only be accepted for consideration after the relevant Council meeting agenda is published on Council’s website.
- A person may apply to speak on no more than one (1) item of business on the agenda of the council meeting.
- The general manager or their delegate may refuse an application to speak at a public forum. The general manager or their delegate must give reasons in writing for a decision to refuse an application.
- No more than one (1) speaker ‘for’ and one (1) speaker ‘against’ are permitted for each item of business on the agenda for the council meeting.
- Each speaker will be allowed five (5) minutes to address the council. This time is to be strictly enforced by the chairperson.
- A councillor (including the chairperson) may, through the chairperson, ask questions of a speaker following their address at a public forum. Questions put to a speaker must be direct, succinct and without argument.
- Answers by the speaker to each question are to be limited to one (1) minute.
- Speakers at public forums cannot ask questions of the council, councillors or council staff.
Declaration
In submitting this application, you acknowledge that Council is legally required to live stream this meeting and that this constitutes a form of publication. You acknowledge that any defamatory comments or imputations you make could give rise to civil liabilities and you undertake not to make such comments or imputations. You agree to indemnify Council in respect of any defamatory statements or imputations made should you be granted permission to speak. You consent to your image and address being broadcast as part of the Council meeting, with the broadcast stored and made available to the public for later viewing.
For further information about Public Forum see Council’s Code of Meeting Practice.