Public question time

Meetings of Council

Question time will be available at every scheduled Meeting of Council to enable members of the public to address questions to Council.

All questions (maximum of two per person) must be submitted via the online form below or in person by completing a Public Question form provided at the Customer Service Counter at the Melton Civic Centre and placing it in the receptacle designated for public questions.

All questions must be received by no later than 10am on the day of the scheduled Meeting of Council.

For information on the conduct of Public Questions, refer to section 62 of Council's Governance Rules(PDF, 1MB).

Visit our Council Meetings webpage for the 2024 schedule of meeting dates and locations.

Click here to view form.

 

Privacy Collection Statement:

Please note that as your question has been presented to a public meeting of the Council, your name will appear in the meeting minutes and become a public record.  Other personal information may also be used so that a written reply can be sent to you.  To view Council’s Privacy Policy, please visit Council’s offices or our Privacy Policies webpage.

Council will ensure that your personal information is held securely in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic).

Public Question Time Statement

Question time will be available at every scheduled Meeting of Council to enable members of the public to address questions to Council.  

A scheduled meeting means a meeting of Council fixed in accordance with Chapter 2 – Meeting Procedure for Council Meetings, Division 1 – Meetings Procedure, Rule 9. 

See the following extract from the Council’s Governance Rules

Questions submitted to Council must be:

Division 8 - Public Engagement with Council 
62.  Public Questions
62.1
  
 There must be a public question time at every Council meeting fixed under Rule 14 to enable members of the public to submit questions to Council.
62.2 
  		 Sub-Rule 62.1 does not apply during any period when a meeting is closed to members of the public in accordance with section 66(2) of the Act.
62.3  
  		 Public question time will not exceed 20 minutes in duration unless extended by further blocks of 20 minutes duration by resolution, up to a maximum of 2 further blocks.

62.4

Public Questions must be submitted to Council:
 

62.4.1  

 in writing, state the name and contact details of the person submitting the question and generally be in a form approved or permitted by Council; and
 

62.4.2   

 lodged electronically at the prescribed email address prior to 10am on the day of the Council meeting or placed in the receptacle designated for the purpose at the Civic Centre Customer Service Desk prior to 10am on the day of the Council meeting.
62.5  No person may submit more than two questions at any one meeting, and no multi-part questions will be accepted as a singular question.

62.6

The Chair or their nominee may read to those in attendance at the meeting a question which has been submitted in accordance with this Rule.

62.7

A question may be disallowed by the Chair or the Chief Executive Officer if it is determined that it:
  62.7.1 Relates to a matter which is to be considered at the Council Meeting;
  62.7.2 relates to a matter outside the duties, functions and powers of Council;
  62.7.3 Relates to a matter which is workplace operations;
  62.7.4 Relates to a complaint which should be dealt with through Council’s Complaint Management Process;
  62.7.5 is defamatory, indecent, abusive, offensive, irrelevant, trivial or objectionable in language or substance;
  62.7.6 deals with a subject matter already answered;
  62.7.7 is repetitive of a question already asked by the person;
  62.7.8 is aimed at embarrassing a Councillor or a member of Council staff or directed at a Councillor or a member of Council staff;
  62.7.9  relates to confidential, personal or sensitive information;
  62.7.10 relates to personnel matters;
  62.7.11 relates to the personal hardship of any resident or ratepayer;
  62.7.12 relates to industrial matters;
  62.7.13 relates to contractual matters;
  62.7.14 relates to proposed developments;
  62.7.15 relates to legal advice;
  62.7.16 relates to matters affecting the security of Council property; or
  62.7.17  relates to any other matter which Council considers would prejudice Council or any person. 
62.8  Any question which has been disallowed by the Chair or the Chief Executive Officer must be made available to any Councillor upon request.

All questions and answers must be as brief as possible, and no discussion may be allowed other than by Councillors for the purposes of clarification.
62.9 Like questions may be grouped together and a single answer provided.
62.10  The Chair may nominate a Councillor or the Chief Executive Officer to respond to a question.
62.11  
  		 A Councillor or the Chief Executive Officer may require a question to be put on notice.  If a question is put on notice, a written copy of the answer will be sent to the person who asked the question.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

  

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