Draft Code of Meeting Practice

Update February 2026

The final outcomes of the public exhibition were included in a Council Report and considered at a Council Meeting in February 2025.

Council resolved: 

That Council: 1. Adopt the Willoughby City Council Code of Meeting Practice 2026 as provided at Attachment, with a change to the order of business in clause 8.1 to enable a new section called "Time Sensitive / Legislative Items for Consideration",
the revised clause to read:"8.1 The general order of business for an Ordinary Meeting of the Council shall be as outlined below or as otherwise resolve by Council:

1. Opening meeting
2. Acknowledgement of Country
3. Moment of Silent Reflection or Prayer
4. Apologies, applications for a leave of absence or attendance by audio-visual link by Councillors
5. Confirmation of Minutes
6. Disclosures of Interest
7. Matters by exception
8. Time Sensitive & Legislative Items
9. Mayoral Minute(s)
10. Petitions
11. Reports of Committees
12. Reports to Council
13. Notices of Motion
14. Questions with Notice
15. Confidential matters
16. Conclusion of the meeting 

1. Place the adopted Policy on Council's website and on Council's Policy Register.
2. Rescind and remove from Council's Policy Register the Willoughby City Council Code of Meeting Practice (August 2025) following adoption of the Willoughby City Council Code of Meeting Practice 2026.
3. Thank all participants for their contribution during the engagement process and advise them of Council's decision.
4. Authorise the General Manager to make any necessary amendments which do not alter the intent or result in material changes and execute all necessary documentation to give effect to this resolution. 

Read the report to Council and the minutes using this link

Background

The code of meeting practice ensures all Council meetings are:

• consistent, orderly and efficient
• fair and respectful for all councillors and other meeting participants
• conducted with transparency including clearly defined rights and obligations.

The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (OLG) released the 2025 Model Code of Meeting Practice in August 2025. All councils must adopt a code that incorporates the mandatory provisions of the new Model Code by 31 December 2025. From 1 January 2026, any existing provisions inconsistent with the mandatory provisions will automatically be overridden.

Willoughby City Council's approach to drafting and adopting the Code

• The draft Willoughby Code of Meeting Practice 2025 incorporates all mandatory provisions of the Model Code verbatim.
  
  
• Non-mandatory provisions have been reviewed against existing practice, with no substantive changes recommended unless required for clarity or consistency.
  
  
• Unique Willoughby clauses (WCC) have been retained to reflect established practices and to support procedural efficiency.

Summary of key changes

• Prohibition on holding of briefing sessions to discuss business listed on a Council or Committee meeting agenda. This does not prevent Councillors from requesting or receiving information from the General Manager about matters to be considered at a meeting, provided the information is also made available to the public and provided in a way that does not involve any discussion of the matter.
  
  
• Attendance by Councillors via audio-visual link is now restricted to circumstances where a Councillor is unable to attend a meeting in person due to ill-health, other medical reasons, or unforeseen caring responsibilities. Attendance via audio-visual link is no longer permitted for reasons such as being on leave or on holidays.
  
  
• Mayoral minutes may now be moved without notice on any matter that the Mayor determines should be considered at the meeting.
  
  
• The rules of debate have been simplified, with the formal provisions for the foreshadowing of motions and amendments removed.
  
  
• The General Manager must publish business papers for items considered in closed session once the information is no longer confidential, following consultation with Council and any affected parties.
  
  
• Councils are now required, at the time of adopting the Code and at the commencement of each Council term, to determine whether to authorise the Chairperson to exercise powers of expulsion for persons except Councillors by resolution of the council only. It is proposed in the Willoughby Code that this authority be granted to all Chairpersons, to maintain order. The definition of “acts of disorder” has been expanded to a broader range of behaviours. Where a Councillor is required to remedy an act of disorder at a meeting and fails to do so, they may be expelled from subsequent meetings until they comply. A Councillor expelled from a meeting forfeits their entitlement to Councillor remuneration for that meeting.

Download the Willoughby City Council 2025 Draft Code of Meeting Practice

2025 Model Code of Meeting Practice for Local Councils in NSW for WCC - Clean Copy

2025 Model Code of Meeting Practice for Local Councils in NSW for WCC updated for Open Forum - Marked Copy

Download supporting documents

Summary of Changes from Old Code to New Code and changes to Model at at 4_11_2025

Memo to Councillors dated 27 October and updated 31 October 2025 after receiving advice regarding Open Forums

17_11_25 Report to Council.pdf

Download documents published by the Office of Local Government

Model Code of Meeting Practice for Local Councils in NSW

2025 Model Meeting Code FAQ

How to give feedback

Provide your feedback either by:

• Online : Completing the online form below
  
• Email: email@willoughby.nsw.gov.au  FAO Melinda Aitkenhead, Governance Lead
• Post: Writing to Willoughby City Council, PO Box 57, Chatswood 2067. FAO Melinda Aitkenhead, Governance Lead

Comments close on 11 January 2026.

Your privacy
Willoughby City Council takes the privacy of the participants completing this form very seriously. By making a comment or submission, you are consenting to that information being used or reproduced anonymously in Council's strategic documents and reports. All personal details and identifiers will be redacted. For further information regarding your privacy and how we will use your information, please refer to Council's Privacy Management Plan.

What happens next

Once this engagement has closed, all submissions and comments will be reviewed, collated into an engagement outcome report and reported to Council at one of its meetings. At this meeting, Council will consider the report and make a decision on adoption of the Draft Code.