Public Forum

Public Forum gives the public an opportunity to address Councillors on agenda items specific to the meeting they are attending.

Location: Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads administration offices

Planning Committee meetings

A Public Forum Session will be convened prior to Planning Committee meetings on the first Thursday of the month, to enable the community to discuss items on the Planning Committee agenda.

Council meetings

A Public Forum Session will be convened prior to Council meetings on the third Thursday of the month, to enable the community to discuss items on the Council agenda.

Public forums may also be held before extraordinary Council meetings and may be held by audio-visual link.

How to apply to speak at Public Forum

To apply to speak at a public forum, you must contact Council by phone or email before 12 pm (noon) on the Wednesday preceding the meeting.

You must identify in your application:

a) the agenda item to be spoken to
b) whether you will speak ‘for’ or ‘against’ the item.

Public Forum rules

Public Forum is governed by Council’s Code of Meeting Practice(PDF, 353KB).

Note: Public forums are held before but not as part of a Council or committee meeting.

Speaker proceedings

How long can I speak for?

Each speaker will be allowed 5 minutes to address the Council. An extension of time for up to a further 5 minutes may be permitted by the Chairperson.

How is the order of speakers determined?

The order of applications received to speak determines the order of speakers.

Can I speak about something not on the agenda, or on multiple agenda items?

If a person applies to speak on a matter that is not an item of business or applies to speak on more than one the agenda item, it is at the discretion of the General Manager who will consider the request based on the number of applications received to speak at the meeting.

Speakers must not digress from the item on the agenda they have applied to address. If a speaker digresses, the Chairperson is to direct the speaker not to do so. If a speaker fails to observe a direction from the Chairperson, the speaker will not be allowed to proceed.

Can a legal representative speak on my behalf?

Legal representatives acting on behalf of others are not to be permitted to speak at a public forum unless they identify their status as a legal representative when applying to speak.

The General Manager or their delegate may refuse an application to speak at a public forum. The General Manager or their delegate must give reasons in writing for a decision to refuse an application.

How many speakers can speak ‘for’ or ‘against’ an item?

More than one speaker is permitted to speak ‘for’ or ‘against’ each item of business on the agenda for the Council meeting.

If more than the one speaker applies to speak ‘for’ or ‘against’ an item of business, the General Manager or their delegate may, in consultation with the Mayor or the Mayor’s nominated Chairperson, increase the number of speakers; but only if it is necessary for Council to hear a full range of views. Where possible, a balance of speakers ‘for’ or ‘against’ any item will be maintained. If the public forum is not fully subscribed, and there is time remaining, additional speakers may be permitted by a majority vote of Council.

Can I provide supporting material?

Speakers need to register any visual or audio material to be presented in support of their address, and to identify any equipment needed prior to 12 pm (noon) on the Wednesday preceding the public forum. The General Manager or their delegate may refuse to allow such material to be presented. If an approved speaker brings visual or audio material to present but has not registered it in accordance with this clause, the Mayor may allow the late material to be presented.

Any person who wishes to make an electronic presentation needs to provide the presentation on a USB drive and deliver this to the Murwillumbah administration office, or email the presentation to Council by 3 pm, on the Wednesday preceding the Public Forum session of the relevant meeting. Late submission of electronic presentations may not be accepted.

Council staff will then ensure that the presentation is compatible with Council's software and it is loaded to the Council Chamber computer desktop for easy retrieval.

Speakers may ask the Public Officer at the meeting to distribute any materials, including written statements, drawings or photographs. If a speaker wishes to distribute such materials to each Councillor they will need to provide 7 copies. If a speaker wishes to include senior staff and the Public Officer in the distribution they will need to provide 6 additional copies.

What happens after I’ve spoken?

Following an address, a Councillor (including the Chairperson) may, through the Chairperson, ask questions of a speaker. Questions put to a speaker must be direct, succinct and without argument. A speaker may ask more than two questions if permitted by the Chairperson.

Speakers are under no obligation to answer a question put under clause 4.14 . Answers by the speaker to questions are to be limited to 2 minutes.

Speakers at public forums cannot ask questions of the Council, Councillors or Council staff.

After the address and any subsequent questions and answers have been finalised, the General Manager or their nominee may, with the concurrence of the Chairperson, address the Council for up to  5 minutes in response to an address.

Where an address raises matters that require further consideration by Council staff, the General Manager may recommend that the Council defer consideration of the matter, pending the preparation of a further report on the matter.

Speaker conduct

When addressing the Council, speakers at public forums must comply with all other relevant Council codes, policies and procedures. Speakers must refrain from engaging in disorderly conduct, publicly alleging breaches of Council’s Code of Conduct or making other potentially defamatory statements.

If the Chairperson considers that a speaker has engaged in the above-mentioned conduct or breach, the Chairperson may request the person to refrain from the inappropriate behaviour to withdraw and to unreservedly apologise for any inappropriate comments. Where the speaker fails to comply with the Chairperson’s request, the Chairperson may request the person to immediately stop speaking.

The Chairperson’s ability to deal with disorderly conduct by speakers at public forums is not limited by conflict of interest provisions.

Where a speaker engages in the above-mentioned conduct or breach, the General Manager or their delegate may refuse further applications from that person to speak at public forums for a period that the General Manager or their delegate considers appropriate.

Conflicts of interest

Councillors (including the Mayor) must declare and manage any conflicts of interest they may have in relation to any item of business that is the subject of an address at a public forum. The Council is to maintain a written record of all conflict of interest declarations made at public forums, including how the conflict of interest was managed by the Councillor who made the declaration.

For Public Forum bookings and queries please contact:
Taya Williams
Corporate Governance
Email: TWilliams@tweed.nsw.gov.au
Phone 02 6670 2749