Brimbank residents have less than a week remaining to have their say on draft governance policies that were released late last month.
The draft is an update of the Brimbank Governance Rules 2020 that was adopted by council on August 18, 2020.
Key changes proposed in the draft Brimbank Governance Rules 2024 include changes to the Councillor Code of Conduct, including an updated definition of misconduct, a values statement added to make the code of council easier to understand, and a prohibition on inciting hatred, especially racial and religious vilification.
The draft rules also include a revised policy on councillor gifts, now including stricter guidelines for what councillors can accept and requiring gifts to be recorded.
The Public Transparency Policy was also reviewed, and has been given a more detailed definition, and there has been a commitment included to releasing decisions from confidential business items from council meetings after they are completed.
To further enhance transparency, the new policies include a requirement for council meetings to be uploaded in full to council’s website, making them easier to find compared to currently only being available on YouTube.
The Councillor Support Policy was also reviewed and amended, after missing its review in 2022.
There has been an inclusion of mandatory mid-year refresher training for councillors in accordance with regulations.
The changes made across the governance rules are seeking to earn and uphold public trust, following a series of incidents within council, which led to municipal monitors being assigned to oversee council proceedings, and the recent three-week suspension of councillor Maria Kerr.
The full draft Governance Rules 2024 are available via the online ‘Your Say’ portal, and written comment must be provided online by noon on Thursday, July 18.
Community comments will be considered in the preparation of the final document that will be presented to council for adoption at a future council meeting.
