Woollahra Council leads push for councillors to disclose meetings with resident groups in transparency crackdown

A Sydney council is considering forcing councillors to disclose all meetings with local resident groups and associations as part of a push to address the potential for undue influence.

A Sydney council is considering forcing councillors to disclose all meetings with local resident groups and progress associations as part of a push to address the potential for undue influence from well-resourced, organised and “highly vocal” community organisations.

Resident associations would be grouped in with property developers and lobbyists as part of a proposal by Woollahra Council to ensure “integrity and transparency” is maintained in local decision making processes.

The proposal has been put forward by four local councillors who also want a publicly available register to be established that would list every meeting a councillor has with local resident associations.

Councillor Sarah Swan said the size and resources of local residents groups – which typically mobilise on issues ranging from development to bike lanes – can often prove daunting for councillors.

“During my three years on council I have never experienced more pressure from any property developer, mum and dad developer or environment group than I do from the residents association in our area,” Ms Swan said.

Woollahra councillor Sarah Swan.

The disclosure proposal has been supported by a majority of Woollahra councillors.

“I am someone who is quite a strong character with a strong mind and strong ideas and the pressure I have experienced from them is quite intense.

“It’s important we meet with residents but it’s also important we disclose we have done so just in the same way we have done with lobbyists and property developers.”

The eastern suburbs currently has at least a dozen separate resident groups including the Double Bay Residents’ Association and Paddington Society which works to protect the character of the suburb from overdevelopment.

Resident groups advocate on issues including heritage preservation.

Other groups include the Queen Street & West Woollahra Association which is currently campaigning against proposed NSW Planning reforms to allow medium density housing density across huge swathes of the local government area which the resident association warns “could wreck Woollahra”.

Woollahra Councillor Susan Wynne said a public register of councillor meetings with residents groups would address concerns by younger generations who have questioned the “influence and pressure coming from these resident groups”.

The establishment of a disclosure register has attracted the backing of pro-development advocacy group Sydney YIMBY – which supports more housing in Sydney – and was set up to counter the voice of so-called ‘NIMBY’ resident groups.

Melissa Neighbour, co-founder of Sydney YIMBY. Photo: Tim Pascoe

Melissa Neighbour, co-founder of Sydney YIMBY, believes the register should apply to all council areas across greater Sydney.

“When a NIMBY or resident action group doesn’t like something they can put a lot of pressure on councillors who want to be seen like they’re listening to their community,” she said.

“These groups often have more time, money and resources and the question is are they really representative of their whole community?”

Multiple resident groups are located across the local government area.

Giles Edmonds, president of the Queen Street & West Woollahra Association, questioned the influence resident groups can have in local decision making processes.

“A lot of the issues we’re concerned about relate to development and most of the power to make those decisions has been taken away from councillors,” he said.

Woollahra Councillor Merrill Witt said councillors also have a responsibility to canvas the views of local residents which “are often represented by residents associations”.

“I’m not sure why that represents a conflict of interest if we’re meeting with them and hearing their concerns,” she said.

Paddington Society president Will Mrongovius believes a disclosure of resident groups meeting was an over the top measure.

“Councillors are elected to represent their community and resident groups should be able to speak to them freely,” he said.

“(Requiring disclosures) seems to be getting out of hand.”

As part of the motion supported by the majority of Woollahra Councillors, the council will develop a report identifying how the council could incorporate a disclosure register into its code of conduct rule book for councillors.

Councillor Susan Wynne – one of four councillors who put forward the proposal – said she was not trying to cast aspersions on resident groups said it was “important we engage with them in a really transparent and open way.”

The move comes as the NSW Office of Local Government is in the process of developing new guidelines and a model policy for councils to “enhance transparency around the lobbying of councillors” which is due to be released this year.