Revised Governance Rules 2023
At the Council meeting on 26 June 2023 the amended Governance Rules were adopted.
Community feedback on 11 proposed changes to the Governance Rules was sought in accordance with section 60(4) of the Act, and public submissions were called for and submissions are now closed. A report to Council will now be prepared and the submissions will be considered by Council. The final Governance rules will be published on the website when they are adopted.
There were eleven changes proposed for the current Governance Rules. These are either clarifications, minor procedural changes, or updates that reflect an existing practice.
The proposed amendments have been noted in track changes on the current HRCC Governance Rules template.
Governance-Rules-Revisions-2023-Table-of-Amendments.pdf(PDF, 761KB)
Revised-Governance-Rules-May-2023.pdf(PDF, 1MB)
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Governance Rules provide an essential framework to ensure the effective conduct of Council Meetings at Horsham Rural City Council. The Rules are a cornerstone of good governance for all Victorian councils and a legislative requirement under the Local Government Act 2020.
HRCC is committed to maintaining high standards of integrity and transparency at its formal meetings. This includes maintaining a contemporary set of rules that safeguard open, robust and orderly debate, valid and ethical decision-making, and effective recordkeeping.
The Governance Rules are routinely reviewed. The last review was August 2022.
There are 11 changes proposed for the current Governance Rules, aimed at improving and clarifying Council Meeting processes. In some cases, the changes capture practices already in place. In other cases there are administrative or procedural changes, such as: inserting a definition inadvertently omitted from the previous version, deleting inapplicable clauses, and creating minor process efficiencies.
Recent recommendations by Council’s independent Municipal Monitor have been considered and actioned as part of this review.
The draft builds on a model document originally produced by Maddocks lawyers, with proposed updates informed by contemporary best practice and recent Municipal Monitor recommendations.