Shire of Gingin Ordinary Council Meeting procedures are based on a majority rules, Westminster-style system developed over many years by parliaments around the world to provide for debate and decision making without conflict. Decisions of a council can only be made by the adoption of a motion by a majority of the members present at a properly convened meeting.
Ordinary Council Meetings are required to be open to the public (although under certain conditions meetings or portions of meetings can be closed to the public).
Ordinary meetings are to be held not more than 3 months apart under the Act, however most councils (including the Shire of Gingin) meet on a monthly basis.
Agendas & Minutes
The Agenda for Council's next Ordinary Meeting will be made available on the Friday prior to the Council Meeting occurring on the following Tuesday. To view any current Agendas, please see the link available at the bottom on this page.
Copies of Minutes from Council's previous Ordinary and Special Meetings are also available online (see here for previous Council Meeting Agendas and Minutes) going back 5 years (as per the Local Government Act 1995).
Older copies of Council Minutes may be viewed upon request. Contact the Shire on (08) 9575 5130 to inquire.
Deputations to Council
Deputations provide an opportunity for members of the public to address Council on a specific issue. Each deputation can consist of up to five persons who collectively will have a period of 15 minutes to address the meeting. Any deputation requests received will be presented to Council during the Briefing Session prior to their monthly Council Meeting.
Deputations to Council are scheduled for Council meeting day, immediately prior to the start of the meeting itself. If you wish to present a deputation, please submit your request via the below online form. A confirmation of your deputation time will be sent to you. Please also note that:
- A deputation is not to exceed 5 persons in number and only those persons may address the meeting;
- Members of a deputation are collectively to have a maximum of 15 minutes to address the meeting, unless the Council grants an extension of time; and
- You need to ensure that you arrive 10 minutes prior to your scheduled deputation time.
*Deputation requests must be received by 2pm on the day before the Council meeting. Requests received after this time will not be considered.
Ordinary Council Meeting Dates, Venue & Time
Ordinary Council Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month in the Shire of Gingin's Council Chambers, 7 Brockman Street, Gingin, unless otherwise notified. The meeting dates for 2023 are as follows:
| 16 January |
20 February |
19 March |
16 April |
| 21 May |
18 June |
16 July |
20 August |
| 17 September |
15 October |
19 November |
17 December |
Occasionally meeting dates and times will be subject to change, however any changes will be advertised on the Shire’s website and, if practicable, on our Facebook page, official noticeboards and in local newspapers.
See here for previous Council Meeting Agendas and Minutes.
Council meetings commence at 3.00pm and members of the public are welcome to attend.
Special Council Meetings
When required a Special Meeting of Council may be called by the Shire President or by at least one third of the Councillors. Public notice of a Special Council Meeting will be given as practicable, in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 1995.
A Special Council Meeting will be held on Tuesday, 24 October 2023 for the purpose of allowing newly-elected Councillors to make their declarations of office, to appoint committee/working group members, and to conduct elections for the positions of President and Deputy President.
Petitions to Council
Petitions are one of the traditional processes by which an individual or group can directly place matters before Council.
Petitions serve to inform Council (in a public manner) of the views of a section of the community. For example, petitions may ask the Council to change an existing policy, local law or recent decision or to take action for a certain purpose or for the benefit of particular persons. It is important for prospective petitioners to bear in mind that a petition should only address a matter that Council has the power to act upon.
A Petition for Electors Form may be downloaded (link below). Instructions are provided below to ensure your petition complies with the required format.
Petition for Electors Form
Petition Requirements
Petitions must comply with the requirements of the Shire’s Meeting Procedures Local Law 2014 in order to be considered valid. Invalid petitions will not be accepted for presentation to Council. Signatures from members of the public who are not enrolled to vote at Shire of Gingin Elections will not be considered.
The Local Law specifies that in order to be considered by Council a petition must:
- Be addressed to the Shire President;
- Be made by electors of the district;
- State the request on each page;
- Contain the names, addresses and signatures of the electors making the request, and the date each elector signed;
- Contain a summary of the reasons for the request;
- State the name of the person upon whom, and an address at which, notice to the petitions can be given;
- Be respectful and temperate in its language;
- Not be defamatory or scandalous, or propose any action that is unlawful; and
- Comply with any form prescribed by the Local Government Act 1995 or any other written law.
Petition Presentation
A petition can only be presented to Council by a Councillor or the Chief Executive Officer.
The Principal Petitioner should forward the petition to the Chief Executive Officer or a Councillor prior to the commencement of the Council meeting at which they would like the petition to be presented.
Presentation of a petition by a Councillor does not mean that the Councillor necessarily agrees or disagrees with its content.
Petitions at Council Meetings
One of the first items of business at a Council meeting is for Council to receive any petitions that have been submitted. The Chief Executive Officer or Councillor presenting the petition will read out a summary of the reasons for the petition's submission and the number of signatures contained within it (if possible).
The petition will be received by Council and if necessary, be forwarded to Administration for appropriate action which will usually entail the preparation of a report for Council’s consideration at a future meeting.
The Principal Petitioner will be advised of the petition’s progress.
Public Question Time
Questions and statements that are of a political nature, contain language that is considered by the Presiding Member to be offensive or defamatory, or which reflect adversely on the integrity of Councillors or Shire staff will not be accepted.
Council meeting minutes are not a verbatim record of meeting proceedings.
Minutes will include:
- For public questions - a summary of the question and the response provided; and
- For public statements – the subject of the statement.
Public Question Time Protocols
Public Question Time is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 1995, the Local Government (Administration) Regulations 1996 and the Shire of Gingin Meeting Procedures Local Law 2014.
1. A period of 15 minutes is allocated at each Council meeting for Public Question Time. Public Question Time may be extended by resolution of Council if Council considers an extension to be necessary.
2. Each person may ask up to three questions before other members of the public will be invited to ask their questions. Questions with multiple parts will be considered as separate questions.
3. If a person has further questions they wish to ask, then they may be invited to do so by the Presiding Member only if:
- All other members of the public present at the meeting wishing to ask a question/s have had an opportunity to do so; and
- There is sufficient time remaining.
4. If a person present in the public gallery is not able to ask their question prior to the close of Public Question Time, then they may submit the question in writing prior to leaving Council Chambers and it will be accepted and dealt with as a question taken on notice. Forms for the submission of questions are made available in Council Chambers.
5. Questions asked at an ordinary meeting may relate to any matter affecting the Shire of Gingin.
6. Questions asked at a special meeting must relate to the purpose for which that meeting has been called.
7. Submission of written questions to the CEO by 2pm on the day prior to the meeting is encouraged. This ensures that a comprehensive response can be provided at the meeting. Any questions received after this point (whether written or verbal) will be responded to at the meeting if possible, but may be taken on notice by the Presiding Member.
8. All questions taken on notice will be responded to in writing within 10 working days of the meeting, and both the question and the response will be included in the Agenda for the next ordinary Council meeting.
9. Written questions can be submitted using the online form provided below. Whilst background information may be provided to give context to a question and to assist in the formulation of an appropriate response, it will not be included in the Minutes of the meeting.
10. Questions received in writing prior to the meeting will be dealt with as a priority.
11. A member of the public who wishes to ask a question during Public Question Time must:
- First state their full name and locality/suburb;
- Direct the question to the Presiding Member;
- Ask the question briefly and concisely;
- Limit any preamble to matters directly relevant to the question; and
- Ensure that the question is not accompanied by any expression of opinion, statement of fact or other comment, except where necessary to explain the question.
12. No debate or discussion about the question or answer will take place at the meeting.
Public Statement Time
Commencing at the Ordinary Council Meeting on 20 February 2024, Council will trial the inclusion of Public Statement Time at Council meetings.
Currently all Council meetings include provisions for Public Question Time, which is a requirement under the Local Government Act 1995. However Public Question Time is reserved for questions only and does not allow for members of the public to make statements on matters of interest unless they are a brief preface to provide context to a question. For that reason, Council has agreed to include a period of time for public statements at Council meetings on a trial basis.
Questions and statements that are of a political nature, contain language that is considered by the Presiding Member to be offensive or defamatory, or which reflect adversely on the integrity of Councillors or Shire staff will not be accepted.
Council meeting minutes are not a verbatim record of meeting proceedings.
Minutes will include:
- For public questions - a summary of the question and the response provided; and
- For public statements – the subject of the statement.
Public Statement Time Protocols
1. A maximum period of 15 minutes is allocated at each Council meeting for Public Statement Time.
2. Each person will have a maximum of 2 minutes within which to make their statement.
3. Statements must be made in person at the meeting.
4. Statements made at an ordinary meeting may relate to any matter affecting the Shire of Gingin.
5. Statements made at a special meeting must relate to the purpose for which that meeting has been called.
6. Anyone wishing to make a statement during Public Statement Time must:
- First state their full name and locality/suburb;
- State what their statement relates to, including the item number if the statement relates to an item on the agenda for the meeting; and
- Direct the statement to the Presiding Member.
7. No discussion will be entered into or questions asked in relation to any statement.