Why are Governance Rules important?

Governance Rules are important because they establish the context in which Council decisions will be made, provide rules by which meetings are conducted, and ensure that matters are dealt with consistently and efficiently. Most importantly they outline how the community can be heard and how they can influence Council decision making in a Council meeting setting.

The Governance Rules, first adopted in 2020, are modelled on industry best practice and in compliance with the Local Government Act 2020.

From 2 September 2022 onwards, an amendment to the Local Government Act 2020 (the Act) will permanently enable Councils to conduct meetings by electronic means in accordance with relevant Governance Rules.

To comply with these measures, Council’s current Governance Rules need to be updated to allow for hybrid meetings, and clarify requirements for virtual participation by the public.

Council is also taking the opportunity to review the Governance Rules in full for clarity and completeness, and to look for ways to improve the meeting process.

The proposed changes will affect how the community can interact with Council at Council Meetings. A summary of the proposed changes has been provided in the Document Library located on the right hand side of this page. It covers what the proposed changes are, what they mean for you as a community member and the reasoning behind the change.

Engagement on this project has now closed. Thank you to everyone that has participated in the Community Survey. We appreciate the time and effort you took to share your feedback. We will keep you up to date on the progress of the project as it develops. Check back on this page for updates.

We are looking for your feedback on the proposed changes to the Governance Rules. More specifically how the community can be involved in Council meetings. You can provide feedback by:

• Completing the Community Survey below. We recommend that you spend five minutes or so to read the proposed changes summary to inform your answers. Please note that this survey closed 5pm on 27 July 2022
• If you have any questions about the proposed changes or the survey please email the Governance team at governance@hepburn.vic.gov.au

Council will consider the feedback received in response to the proposed changes at the 16 August 2022 Ordinary Council Meeting.

The 16 August 2022 Council meeting will be live streamed on Council's Facebook page from 5:30pm or available to watch as a recording. You can also submit a question or address Council. You can find out more about this here.