Public Questions

At all Council Meetings, public question time is available for a member of the community to ask questions about issues affecting the Shire.

Questions from the public are part of every council meeting agenda. They will be either questions with notice, or questions without notice.

Questions with notice: If you provide notice of the question(s) you will be asking, a response may be provided at the meeting.

Questions without notice: On the spot questions can still be asked but if more research is needed, your question will be taken on notice and a written response sent to you. A copy of the question and answer will be included in the agenda of the next Ordinary Council Meeting.

Attending Public Question Time

If you wish to pose your question directly at the Council Meeting, please:

• Start by stating your name and suburb
• Direct your question to the Chairperson
• Keep questions short – you have three minutes to speak including any preamble
• This is not the time for debate or discussion
• A record of the questions, including your name and suburb, will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting and your image and voice will be captured in the livestream and recording of the meeting.

If you cannot attend the meeting, let us know and a response will be sent to you. If there is time during public question time the Chairperson may read your question on your behalf, however, those in attendance with questions will be given the opportunity ask their questions first.

Please read the Public Question Time Rules available here and are also provided in the Council Agenda.

Submit a question online

Email us your question

Deputations

Community members are welcome to make a presentation about an item on the Council Meeting agenda. These presentations made by community are called deputations.

The Shire of Murray Meeting Procedures Local Law 2015 clause 3.4 sets the procedures for Deputations.

How to make a deputation

• The Chief Executive Officer must approve deputation requests first, and these need to be received at least two business days before the meeting.
• Up to five people can attend a meeting to present a deputation, however, only two may address the council during the presentation. The other three may respond to specific questions from Councillors.
• A deputation is limited to 10 minutes, including question time and discussion, and must relate to an agenda item listed for consideration at the meeting you wish to address.
• Only one subject per application form. If you want to make a deputation on more than one agenda item at any meeting, it’s a good idea to contact us for advice.
• If you have printed material to support your deputation, please bring 14 copies with you to the meeting. These will be given to the Councillors to read.
• You must clearly state on your application form if you’ll be using a PowerPoint presentation as part of your deputation. PowerPoint presentations are not allowed without the prior consent of the Shire CEO.

Submit a Deputation Request

Petitions

Petitions inform the Council, in a public way, of the views of sections of the community and they serve as a way of placing community concerns before Council. 

The Shire of Murray Meeting Procedures Local Law 2015 clause 3.6 sets the procedures for Petitions.

Any elector of the Shire of Murray, or group of electors, may petition the Council to take some form of action over a particular issue. It is important to note that the subject of a petition must be a matter on which the Council has the power to act.

Petition requirements

A petition is to:

• Be addressed to the Shire President
• Be made by electors of the district
• State the request on each page of the petition
• Contain the name, address and signature of each elector making the request, and the date each elector signed
• Contain a summary of the reasons for the request
• State the name and address of the person (Initiator) to whom the Shire can contact regarding the petition.

Presenting a petition to Council

A petition can be presented to Council at an Ordinary Council Meeting.

Any Councillor or the Chief Executive Officer can present a petition. The Initiator is to ensure the petition is forwarded to a Councillor or the Chief Executive Officer prior to the start of the meeting at which they would like the petition presented. It is appreciated if the petition can be provided to the Shire by 12 noon the day of the meeting to assist with meeting procedures.

Presentation of a petition does not mean the Shire agrees with its content.

What happens at the Council Meeting?                             

At Item 5 of the Agenda, the Councillor or the Chief Executive Officer presenting the petition will read out the name and suburb of the Initiator of the petition, a summary of the reasons for the petition along with the number of signatures collected.

At the time of presentation, no discussion or voting on the subject matter of a petition takes place.

At any meeting, the council is not to vote on any matter that is the subject of a petition presented to that meeting, unless

(a) the matter is the subject of a report included in the agenda; and

(b) the council has considered the issues raised in the petition.

Petitions are Public Documents

All petitions tabled at Council Meetings are public documents, which may be inspected by members of the public at any time. This is provided for under Section 5.94 (P)(i) of the Local Government Act 1995.

What happens next?    

Upon receiving a petition, the petition will be provided to the relevant Officer to be included in deliberations and report on the matter that is the subject of the petition.

An Officer will advise the Initiator what action will be taken when dealing with the petition. A report may be prepared and presented to Council on the issue.

Even though petitions may seem to produce no immediate or obvious result, they serve as a way to make Council aware of community concerns.

Meeting Procedures

Meeting Procedures Local Law

E-meeting Guidelines for the public

Online Council Meetings

As of November 2024, the Shire has live streamed Council Meetings. Please be advised recording is taking place in Council Chambers should you attend in person. 

Watch and listen to live Council meetings online