Lismore council to consider meetings rule change

Important issues affecting where you live might be thrashed out in private before they hit the public arena - and that’s raised a red flag for a Lismore City councillor.

Concern has been raised about a proposed rule change that could see some Lismore City Council debate move behind closed doors.

The proposed motion to adopt a new Code of Meeting Practice would empower the general manager to brief councillors in a “pre-meeting” before the usual council meeting.

Such a pre-meeting could be held without the presence of the public.

Councillor Adam Guise expressed concern that this would give council staff the opportunity to coach councillors into a voting consensus away from the public eye.

“Which means less information available to the public and less oversight of councillors,” Mr Guise told the Northern Star.

“Expect to see barely any public briefings and everything moved to ‘workshops’ behind closed doors.”

But councillor Vanessa Ekins said there could be a benefit to restricted access meetings.

“There is a time for councillors to have conversations about matters that we can have behind closed doors, so to speak, so that we can get what they call ‘frank and fearless advice’, because I do know that staff sometimes feel constrained about what they say in a public forum,” Ms Ekins said.

She said she was concerned though about the recommendation in the code that would limit the number of public speakers against issues before council to four speakers.

“At the moment, we have an unlimited number of members of the public that can address us. And I think that’s really important,” she said.

“It’s really powerful when people come and address councillors. So I don’t want to see a reduction.

“When there’s a very controversial issue, I think it’s important that we hear as many voices as we can.”

The outcome will be decided at tonight’s Lismore City Council meeting.