The City of Casey has adopted its new governance rules, with administrators stating the rules would set out the rules of engagement until councillors are voted into office in October next year and beyond.
In a council meeting on Tuesday, April 21, City of Casey administrators adopted the Governance Rules document, which would be reviewed in four years.
City of Casey administrator Miguel Belmar said the governance rules set out a number of regulations in regards to how council operates, including how the election of mayor and deputy mayor would occur and how council business would be conducted.
“It’s fundamental that these rules set out very clearly and in a manner that is very easy to read and to follow,” he said.
“These rules make it clear to the community how those meetings are conducted.”
The City of Casey placed the document on public exhibition for a period of four weeks, with no written submissions received.
Rules outlined in the document included that a visitor or person in the public gallery must not interject or take part in the debate of a council meeting and the chair may order and cause the removal of any person, other than a councillor, who disrupts any meeting or fails to comply with a direction given under the rules.
The council’s Governance Rules replaced part of the Meeting Procedure Local Law from September 1, 2020 and was subsequently revised and adopted by council at the August 30, 2022 Special Council Meeting to reflect the new virtual meeting provisions under the Local Government Act 2020.
A further change was made in 2022, as a result of changes to the Act which enabled councils and regional libraries to conduct virtual meetings on a permanent basis from September 2, 2022.
At the August 30, 2022 Special Council Meeting, council resolved to consider a revised draft which incorporated further amendments.
Administrator Cameron Boardman said the rules would go a long way towards ensuring councillors remain “respectful, professional and meet the objectives of the community and the organisation as a whole”.
“This will set the tone of behaviour, this will set the rules of engagement between their fellow councillors,” he said.
The adoption of the document followed on from investigations into allegations of serious corrupt conduct in relation to planning and property development decisions at the City of Casey council.
IBAC held public hearings during 2019 and 2020 as part of Operation Sandon.
The findings from the final report of the investigation are yet to be tabled in parliament.
Chair of administrators Noelene Duff said issues of integrity have been a “very serious matter” of allegations made against the City of Casey council.
“This set of governance rules, in my view, sets what are best practice and the high standards of integrity for a council to abide by,” she said.
Details: conversations.casey.vic.gov.au/proposed-governance-rules
