Northern Beaches Council is inviting the community to comment on proposed changes to the way Council meetings are held, following recent mandatory rule updates by the NSW Government.

The changes are part of a new Model Code of Meeting Practice which all NSW councils must adopt by 31 December 2025. The Government has advised the new rules aim to ensure meetings are focused on quality decision making and conducted in a democratic, dignified and orderly way.

Some mandatory changes made by the NSW Government include: 

• limitations on councillors attending a meeting by audio-visual link
• a ban on briefings of agenda items
• public forums may not be held as part of the council meeting for hearing submissions on items of business on the agenda for the meeting
• members of the public must not display signs or protest symbols

Council has prepared a draft Code of Meeting Practice that reflects the mandatory requirements of the new rules.

Northern Beaches Council is calling on the NSW government to reconsider some mandatory changes to the way council meetings are held.

“While we commend the NSW government’s aim to bring more order to council meetings, I hope the Minister will listen to us and other councils and reconsider his position on some of the meeting changes,” Mayor Heins said.

“As councillors, we value democracy and hearing from our community, and we are keen to continue to support the provision of a public forum.”

As a result of the new provisions, Council is proposing to host a public forum on items on the agenda a week before the Council meeting and to provide public access to the meeting papers 2 weeks before. The forum will be live streamed.

Mayor Sue Heins said the Council is committed to ensuring the community continues to have a voice in local decision-making.

“We know how important it is for our community to be heard. While the new rules mean public forums can no longer be held during Council meetings, the draft Code proposal ensures residents can still share their views,” Mayor Heins said.

“This is in addition to the range of other ways the community can connect with Council such as by contacting councillors directly, engaging in public consultation opportunities and responding to projects through the public exhibition process that is reported to Council meetings.

“In the meantime, I encourage our community to review the draft Code and provide feedback.”

The draft Code of Meeting Practice will be on public exhibition from 24 October to 4 December 2025.  Community members can view the proposal and make a submission via Council’s Your Say page.

For more information, visit: northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au