Shoalhaven Council Ordinary Meetings will move from fortnightly to the fourth Tuesday of each month with the introduction of a new Code of Meeting Practice in 2026.
The change follows the release of the Model Code of Meeting Practice by the Office of Local Government in August last year which required all NSW councils to incorporate mandatory provisions by 1 January 2026.
Mayor Patricia White said the aim of the new Model Code is to promote transparency, consistency and community confidence in Council decision making.
“The biggest change is the move to monthly meetings which will give Councillors more time to read complex reports and better engage with community feedback before decisions are made,” Cr White said.
“The other major change sees the introduction of a Public Forum one week before each meeting where members of the public can speak on items to be determined by the Council at the next Ordinary Meeting. Deputations will no longer be part of the Ordinary Meeting agenda,” she said.
“While there will be fewer meetings each year, I’m looking forward to better quality decision making and better outcomes for the community as a result of the more streamlined scheduling of meetings.”
The first Ordinary Meeting for 2026 will be held on Tuesday 27 January with the business papers – the items to be considered by Councillors – available from Thursday 15 January.
Key changes in the new Code of Meeting Practice and Public Forum Policy for 2026 include:
No pre-meeting briefing sessions for Councillors.
Greater lead time for the Ordinary Meeting business papers (agenda) to be made public, with papers published on Council’s website on a Thursday, 12 days prior to the meeting.
Removal of Deputations from within the Ordinary Meeting and replaced with a live-steamed Public Forum the week before the Ordinary Meeting.
Councillor participation via audio visual link during Council meetings will be restricted to specific circumstances and subject to permission being granted by resolution of the Council.
Discriminatory behaviour is now explicitly defined as disorderly conduct, empowering the Chair to act on inappropriate gestures or behaviour of those in attendance, not just verbal comments.
