Darebin Governance Rules 2020, Commitment

We are updating our Governance Rules 2020

We are proposing an update to registration timelines for public participation. These updates refer only to registration timelines for public participation in Council meetings when community members are:

• making a submission as outlined in section 14.3.(1)
• lodging a question as outlined in section 15.2.(1) and 15.2.(3), and
• lodging a petition as outlined in section 16.1.(1) and 16.1.(2).

The updates we are proposing are small, but they will help us grant Council more time to consider input from the community prior to a Council meeting.

We would like to find out what you think of these changes

Please note - it is not the intention to seek feedback on all parts of the Governance Rules 2020, only those areas that have been updated.

The Local Government Act 2020 requires Councils to develop, adopt and keep in force Governance Rules with respect, but not limited, to the:

• Conduct of Council meetings and meetings of Delegated Committees.

• Form and availability of meeting records.
• Public participation at Council meetings by way of submissions, public questions and petitions.

• Election of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the appointment of an Acting Mayor.

• Procedures for the disclosure of a Conflict of Interest by a Councillor or a member of a Delegated Committee and by a member of Council staff.

• Election Period policy.

Council adopted its current Governance Rules in 2020, with amendments made in 2022 and 2024.

We will analyse your feedback and submit the updated Governance Rules 2020 for endorsement at a Council meeting on 28 April 2026.

There will be new Model Governance Rules developed by Local Government Victora towards the end of 2026, but we need to make some changes in the interim to ensure clarity and consistency.