Public Exhibition - New 2025 Model Code of Meeting Practice

Council, at its meeting on 14 October 2025, resolved to exhibit the Policy Review - New 2025 Model Code of Meeting Practice with amendments to a number of provisions of the policy.

The following is a summary of the key changes:

Prohibition on pre-meeting briefing sessions

• The Code prohibits briefing sessions being held to brief Councillors on business listed on the agenda for meetings of the Council or Committees of the Council.
• The prohibition on briefing sessions does not prevent a Councillor from requesting information from the Chief Executive Officer about a matter to be considered at a meeting, provided the information is also available to the public. The information must be provided in a way that does not involve any discussion of the information.

Public forums

• The public forum provisions are now mandatory.
• Council may determine whether to hold public forums.
• If Council holds a public forum it must be before Council and Committee meetings.
• Speakers are not permitted to speak to items during the meeting, except to make a submission about moving into closed session.
• A Public Forum Policy (attachment 3) has been drafted and proposes the Public Forum be held for 30 minutes from 5.30pm-6.00pm prior to the Council meeting.
• Public forums must be livestreamed.

Councillors’ attendance at meetings by audio-visual link

• The provisions governing attendance by Councillors at meetings by audio-visual link have been made mandatory and the option to attend meetings by audio-visual link has been restricted to where Councillors are prevented from attending a meeting in person because of ill-health or other medical reasons or because of unforeseen caring responsibilities.

Livestreaming meetings

• As of 1 January 2026, all Councils are required to livestream their meetings using an audio-visual recording.
• Recordings of meetings must be published on Council’s website for the balance of the Council term or for 12 months, whichever is the later date.
• OLG will be issuing updated guidance on the livestreaming of meetings.

New rules of etiquette at meetings

• Council may determine standards of dress for councillors when attending meetings.
• Where physically able to, Councillors and staff are encouraged to stand when the Mayor enters the chamber and when addressing the meeting.
• The Code prescribes modes of address.

Voting on planning decisions

• Consistent with the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s (ICAC) recommendations, a Council or a Council committee must not make a final planning decision at a meeting without receiving a staff report containing an assessment and recommendation in relation to the matter put before the Council for a decision.
• Where the Council or a Council committee makes a planning decision that is inconsistent with the recommendation made in a staff report, it must provide reasons for its decision and why it did not adopt the staff recommendation.

Representations by the public on the closure of meetings

• In the interests of simplifying the code, the rules governing representations by the public on the closure of meetings have been removed. OLG will be issuing model best practice rules for public representations.

Making information considered at closed meetings public

• Consistent with ICAC’s recommendation, the Chief Executive Officer must publish business papers for items of business considered during meetings that have been closed to public on the council’s website as soon as practicable after the information contained in the business papers ceases to be confidential.
• Before publishing this information, the Chief Executive Officer must consult with the Council and any other affected persons and provide reasons for why the information has ceased to be confidential.

Dealing with disorder

• Councils determined on the adoption of the new code and at the commencement of each council term, to authorise the person presiding at a meeting to exercise a power of expulsion except Councillors.
• The definition of acts of disorder by Councillors have changed. The following constitute acts of disorder under the Regulation and the Code:
  • contravening the Act, the Regulation, or the council’s code of meeting practice
  • assaulting, or threatening to assault, another Councillor or person present at the meeting,
  • moving or attempting to move a motion or an amendment that has an unlawful purpose, or deals with a matter that is outside the jurisdiction of the council or committee or addressing or attempting to address the council or committee on or such a motion, amendment or matter, o using offensive or disorderly words,
  • making gestures or otherwise behaving in a way that is sexist, racist, homophobic or otherwise discriminatory, or if the behaviour occurred in the Legislative Assembly, would be considered disorderly, or imputing improper motives, or unfavourably personally reflecting, on another council official or a person present at the meeting, or
  • saying or doing anything that would promote disorder at the meeting or is otherwise inconsistent with maintaining order at the meeting.
• Where a Councillor fails to remedy an act of disorder at the meeting at which it occurs, the Councillor can be required to do so at each subsequent meeting until they remedy the act of disorder. On each occasion the Councillor who fails to comply with a direction by the Chairperson to remedy an act of disorder, can be expelled from the meeting and each subsequent meeting until they comply.
• Members of the public can be expelled from meetings for engaging in disorderly conduct. Disorderly conduct includes:
  • speaking at meetings without being invited to,
  • bringing flags, signs or protest symbols to meetings,
  • disrupting meetings,
  • making unauthorised recordings of meetings.
• The 2025 Model Meeting Code notes that failure by a Councillor or members of the public to leave a meeting when expelled is an offence under section 660 of the Act. Section 660 provides that a person who wilfully obstructs a Council, Councillor, employee of Council or a duly authorised person in the exercise of any function under the Act, or Regulation is guilty of an offence. An offence under section 660 carries a maximum fine of $2,100.

Committees

• Meetings of committees of Council whose membership comprises only of Councillors must be conducted in accordance with the council’s adopted meeting code. Such committees will no longer have the option of determining that rules under the Council’s meeting code do not apply to them.

Hard copies will also be available for viewing at the following locations:

• Customer Service Centre - Corner Queen and Broughton Streets, Campbelltown
• HJ Daley Library - Downtown Plaza, Shop 2.01/147-157 Queen St, Campbelltown NSW 2560
• Eagle vale Library - 25 Emerald Drive, Eagle Vale
• Glenquarie Library - 12 Brooks St, Macquarie Fields
• Greg Percival Library - Cnr Oxford Rd and Cumberland Rd, Ingleburn

Make a submission

• Complete the submission form below or
• E-mail - council@campbelltown.nsw.gov.au or
• Forward your submission in writing addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Campbelltown City Council, PO Box 57, Campbelltown NSW 2560.

Please quote reference to Policy Review - New 2025 Model Code of Meeting Practice

Submissions close 5pm Monday 1 December 2025.