How can I take part in MRC Council meetings?
Public participation at MRC Council meetings is encouraged at meetings which are open to the public. These meetings are:
- Ordinary Council Meetings (OCMs)
- Special Council Meetings (SCMs)
Attending a Council meeting
You are welcome to attend meetings which are open to the public. Check the MRC website for a list of upcoming meetings where you will also find agendas and minutes from previous meetings.
When you arrive at the meeting, you will be directed to the public gallery where you will be able to observe the meeting and take part at specified points in the Order of Business (the meeting schedule).
These are listed below.
| Note: On occasion, it may be necessary to hold a public meeting online. While you cannot attend an online meeting, you can submit public questions by email. For more information on public question time, please see below. |
Public question time
Public question time is held at Mindarie Regional Council (MRC) Ordinary Council Meetings (OCMs) and Special Council Meetings (SCMs).
The regulations prescribe a minimum of 15 minutes is set aside for public question time, though this time may be extended if Council decides to do so.
It is an opportunity for you to ask questions of the Council, though all questions are directed ‘through’ the Chairperson, otherwise known as the Chair.
Section 6.7 of the MRC Meeting Procedures Local Law says of public question time:
- Each member of the public is entitled to ask up to two (2) questions
- Questions can be asked verbally at the meeting, or submitted in writing (including by email) to the CEO ahead of the meeting
- Before asking a question, you must state your name and address
- Questions can be no longer than three minutes
It may not always be possible to give an answer to your question at the meeting itself. The Council or CEO (if asked to respond to the question by the Chair) may not have the information to hand needed to answer your question.
Under these circumstances, the Chair may choose to have the question ‘taken on notice’. This means you will receive an answer in writing, provided by the CEO, and a summary of that answer will be read out at the next MRC Council meeting.
The Chair may also choose to take a question on notice if time is limited and there are other members of the public waiting to ask a question.
If one or both of your questions have been submitted in writing ahead of the meeting, the Chair may decide to have those questions dealt with as ‘normal business correspondence’. This means you will receive an answer to your question in writing.
The Chair may decide your question will not receive a response if:
- The same question (or similar) was asked at a previous meeting, and it received a response
- You make a statement, rather than ask a question
- Your question is offensive, insulting or defamatory in nature
Deputations and statements
You may choose to make a deputation or a statement about an issue of concern at Council meetings which are open to the public. You can do this on your own, or as part of a group.
Deputations and statements are dealt with under the same item on the meeting Order of Business.
To make a deputation or statement, you or your group must make an application, in writing, to the CEO, ahead of the meeting.
Alternatively, you or your group may choose to ask permission from the Chair at a meeting to address Council with a deputation or statement. However, approval is at the discretion of the Chair.
When the CEO receives an application for a deputation or statement, he may:
- Approve the request; or
- Refer the request to the next Council meeting where a vote will be taken on whether the deputation or statement should be heard.
Unless Council decides otherwise, deputations or statements are limited to five (5) people, of which only two people may speak. The time allotted for an individual or group to make statements or deputations is a total of ten minutes.
You may choose to make multiple statements, or deputations, but the total time available for you to make them will still be ten minutes.
Council may choose to grant you or your group more time, but this is at the discretion of Council.
Petitions
Petitions appear alongside statements and deputations in the meeting Order of Business.
In order to have a petition presented at an MRC public meeting, you must submit it to either a councillor/s or to the CEO. The petition will then by brought to the next Council meeting.
Petitions must be addressed to the Council as a whole, and written on the prescribed form, which can be found here.
You should include your name and address, so that correspondence relating to your petition can be sent to you.
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Note: Council will not be able to vote on any matter which forms part of your petition at the meeting, unless:
- the matter which the petition is about is on the agenda to be discussed later in the meeting, or;
- Council has already considered the issues raised in the petition (usually at a previous meeting).
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Presentations
Presentations appear alongside statements, deputations and petitions on the meeting Order of Business, unless the presentation corresponds to an item later in the agenda, under which circumstances it may be heard there instead.
It is up to the CEO and then the Chair to decide whether it would be beneficial for a presentation to be made – whether that is by a member of the public attending or another individual or group.
The time allotted to a presentation is decided by the Chair.
If you wish to make a presentation, it is recommended that you contact the CEO ahead of time for advice.
Matters for which the meeting may be closed to the public
On occasion, it may be necessary to hold parts of MRC public meetings ‘behind closed doors’. Often this is so that matters can be discussed in private to protect sensitive information, such as legal advice or commercial negotiations.
Items on the agenda which are planned to be heard behind closed doors will be clearly marked on the Order of Business as ‘Matters for which the meeting may be closed to the public’. However, the Chair may elect to close the meeting to the public at any time, with the agreement of Council.
The Chair will ask Council to vote on closing the meeting, and you will be asked to leave the public gallery until the item/s have been completed. Once the meeting is reopened to the public, you will be allowed to return to your seat.
More information
If you need more information or are unsure about any element of public participation in MRC meetings, please contact MRC administration: admin@mrc.wa.gov.au.