Of all the meetings the Shire's Councillors attend, Ordinary Council Meetings are arguably the most important. Meeting procedures are based on a majority rules, Westminster style system developed over hundreds of 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. The rules allow for only one person to speak at a time.
Ordinary Council Meetings are formal meetings of the elected Council members and are required to be open to the public (although under certain conditions Council Meetings can be closed under provisions of the Local Government Act 1995 [the Act]). Annually a Council is required under the Act to hold Ordinary Meetings and it may hold Special Meetings if required.
Ordinary meetings are to be held not more than 3 months apart under the Act so as a general rule, many Councils (including the Shire of Gingin) tend to meet on a monthly basis annually.
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 link at the bottom of this page) 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.
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.
If you would like to submit a hardcopy deputation instead of submitting online or you require more information on the deputation process, please contact the Shire's Governance Officer on (08) 9575 5130.
*Please note that deputation requests are to be received no later than 12 noon on the Monday prior to the Council meeting.
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:
| 17 January |
21 February |
21 March |
18 April |
| 16 May |
20 June |
18 July |
15 August |
| 19 September |
17 October |
21 November |
19 December |
Occasionally meeting dates and times will be subject to change, however any changes will be advertised on the Shire's notice boards, website, Facebook page, as well as via public notice in local and regional newspapers.
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. The CEO will convene the Special Meeting and arrange for a public notice if the meeting is to be open to the public.
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.
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
A minimum of 15 minutes is set aside for public questions at each Council meeting. If there are not sufficient questions to fill the allocated time, the Presiding Member will move on to the next item. If there are more questions than can be dealt with in the 15 minutes allotted, then the Council may resolve to extend Public Question Time.
Questions Submitted in Writing
In accordance with the Shire’s Meeting Procedures Local Law, questions received in writing prior to the meeting will be given priority over verbal questions during Public Question Time.
Written questions should be submitted by 3pm on the day prior to the Council meeting to ensure that a comprehensive response can be provided at the meeting. Any questions received after this point will be responded to at the meeting if possible, but may be taken on notice by the Presiding Member with a response being provided in writing after the meeting.
Written questions can be submitted using the online form below. Please note that background information is provided to give context to your question(s) and to assist in the formulation of an appropriate response (additional documentation can be attached to the online form). Background information will not be included in the Minutes of the meeting.
Public Question Time Protocols
- Unless Council has specifically resolved to allow it, recording of the meeting by any electronic, visual or audio recording device or instrument is not permitted. All members of the public present are requested to turn off their mobile phones or any other devices before the commencement of the meeting.
- During an Ordinary Meeting questions may be asked in relation to any matter affecting the Shire.
- During a Special Meeting questions must relate to the purpose for which that meeting has been called.
- A member of the public who wishes to ask a question during Public Question Time must:
- First state his or her name and address;
- 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 when necessary to explain the question.
- Members of the public cannot ask questions, make comments or otherwise participate in proceedings outside of Public Question Time.
- To ensure that all members of the public wishing to ask a question have the opportunity to do so, each individual may ask up to three questions before other members of the public will be invited to ask their questions.
- Once all members of the public have had an opportunity to put their questions to Council, and if there is sufficient time remaining, then the Presiding Member may allow those with further questions to speak again.
- Answers to questions are provided in good faith. However, unless questions are submitted in writing to the Chief Executive Officer no later than 24 hours prior to the meeting, it must be accepted that the answer provided may not be comprehensive.
- If a question cannot be answered during Public Question Time it may be taken on notice by the Presiding Member, in which case a written response will be provided within 10 working days following the meeting. Responses to public questions taken on notice will also be included in the Agenda and Minutes of the next Ordinary Council Meeting.