At the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council’s (CGRC) June meeting, the possibility of a change in meeting hours was raised due to hazards in the winter months.
The matter was raised by Councillor Ros Wight, who said to Council, “I have great concerns for the staff, and Councillors, who are making hazardous journeys during the winter months, from Cootamundra and Gundagai to attend nightly meetings.”
“There are two Councillors who have hit Kangaroos, one car destroyed and the journey at night down the Hume Highway, through fog-bound Muttama, is perilous to say the least. Could we please have a discussion about moving the meetings to 4:00pm? This would be once a month for Council Meetings, for those who work in offices, etc.
“We could meet at 3:30pm, if you wanted some afternoon tea and then carry on after.
“I consider this to be a very real OH&S matter, and I hope we can come to some satisfactory arrangement.”
The Interim Manager, Roger Bailey, responded by saying, “Council will be at this meeting dealing with a report that is proposing the rescission of the current Code of Meeting Practice. This will have the effect of returning to the previous Code adopted on 22 July 2025.”
It is not until Council rescind the Code of Meeting Practice that the times can be changed. Furthermore, the following steps are to be taken if they do change the times:
(1) Before adopting a code of meeting practice, Council must prepare a draft code.
(2) Council must give public notice of the draft code after it is prepared.
(3) The period of public exhibition must not be less than 28 days.
(4) The public notice must also specify a period of not less than 42 days after the date on which the draft code is placed on public exhibition during which submissions may be made to the Council.
(5) The Council must publicly exhibit the draft code in accordance with its notice.
During the meeting, Council voted to rescind the Code.
It was also decided that meetings be conducted in accordance with the reinstated Code until further amendment.
Councils are required to adopt and operate under a Model Code of Meeting Practice to ensure that council meetings are conducted in the correct manner. On 26 May, the NSW Legislative Council voted to disallow the Local Government (General) Amendment (Model Code of Meeting Practice) Regulation 2025. As a result, the revised 2025 Model Code of Meeting Practice, which Councils were required to adopt by 31 December 2025, is no longer in effect.
The motion to disallow the 2025 Model Code was first introduced to Parliament in September 2025 and debated in November 2025. The matter was then deferred to allow the Minister for Local Government time to address concerns raised about several of the proposed changes.
When the motion returned to Parliament in May 2026, concerns remained unresolved, and the Legislative Council voted to disallow the 2025 Model Code in its entirety. While some of the changes were broadly supported, including requirements for Councils to provide reasons when making planning decisions contrary to staff recommendations and stronger livestreaming provisions, several other amendments attracted significant opposition.
The most controversial changes included a proposed ban on private Councillor briefings and tighter restrictions on Councillors participating remotely in meetings. These concerns were reflected in the large number of submissions received during the public consultation process.
The Code had stated Council meetings must be held at 6:00pm, but once rescinding the Code, CGRC can choose their meeting dates.
Jack Murray
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