Should councillors be briefed in public?

Should staff briefings to councillors be open to the public?

That was one of the questions put to the 15 new Central Coast representatives at their first ordinary Council meeting in October after being elected in September.

The change from private to public briefings is just one of a series of key changes the State Government wants to make to the framework councillors work under.

The proposed changes also include new rules on acceptable councillor conduct and meeting practices.

Council staff presented the councillors with a possible response to the Government at the October meeting.

Staff said while they supported increased transparency and openness, a ban on private briefings could result in the opposite.

“Councillors are elected with varying skills and experience in civic roles,” staff said.

“It is imperative that all councillors feel safe to ask questions, offer alternate views or investigate multiple solutions to an issue.

“This process of becoming fully informed cannot be achieved in a public format.

“Further, members of the public and/or media representatives attending briefing sessions on complex matters may misinterpret discussions or misunderstand the exploration of options as a determined outcome.

“This may result in the local community inferring inaccurate outcomes, reducing trust in democracy.

“Council notes that both state and federal ministers may receive confidential briefings to support informed decision making.”

The 15 councillors deferred a decision, wanting more time to discuss the matter, which will come back to them at the November meeting for resolution.

The response proposed by staff also said: “Council welcomes a reform of the current accountability framework and supports a framework that will strengthen leadership, foster a culture of integrity and accountability, and will assist in restoring dignity to Council meetings.”

But staff said they wanted a focus on long-term community outcomes.

“A focus on community outcomes should be the guiding principle for all activity and decision making,” the proposed response said.

“These activities and decisions should consider not only the immediate outcomes but also longer-term impacts of decisions, for example future impacts on the Long Term Financial Plan or longer-term consequences of planning decisions.

“The inclusion of community at the heart of councillor conduct ensures that the focus of short-term election cycles can be overcome through clear guidance extrapolated in the principles, oath, and code of conduct.”