Public Forum terms and conditions
Below are the conditions for speaking at a Public Forum, in line with Ku-ring-gai Council's Code of Meeting Practice. View the full Code of Meeting Practice here(PDF, 1MB).
Public forums
Ku-ring-gai Council may hold public forums prior to council meetings to hear oral submissions from the public on specific agenda items or general matters. Public forums provide an opportunity for community members to express their views directly to Council.
Time and venue
Council sets the date of public forums. Public forums will generally commence at 6pm. Forums will generally be held in the Council Chamber and by audio-visual link (Zoom).
If a forum is unable to held physically in the Council Chamber it may be held by audio-visual link only, and/or alternative arrangements may be made to receive written submissions.
Attendance
Members of the public may make written submissions, oral submissions in person at the Council Chamber or oral submissions by Zoom.
Application to speak at public forums
To speak at a public forum or lodge a written submission, members of the public must apply in advance using the official form. Applications and written submissions must be received by 5pm on the day before the public forum.
The application form must clearly state whether the person intends to speak in the Council Chamber or via Zoom. The form also must identify the item of business on the agenda of the Council meeting they wish to speak on, and whether they wish to speak ‘for’ or ‘against’ the relevant officer’s recommendation for the item.
If a person wishes to make a general address to the Council, they must apply in the same manner and identify the subject they wish to speak on.
A person may apply to speak on up to two items of business on the agenda of the Council meeting. A person may also speak once on a general matter.
An email confirmation will be sent to all people who submitted an application on the morning of the public forum.
Representatives acting on behalf of others are not to be permitted to speak at a public forum unless they identify their status as a representative when applying to speak at the public forum.
Parental consent is required for speakers under the age of 16.
Refusal of applications
The General Manager or their delegate may refuse an application to speak at a public forum. The General Manager or their delegate must give reasons for their decision in writing.
Limit on number of speakers
If more than 5 speakers apply to speak “for” or “against” an item, the chairperson may call for a vote from Councillors to limit the number of speakers. If the vote to limit the number of speakers is carried, those permitted to speak will be determined by the order in which the applications were received. Any person who is permitted to speak in this way may nominate another registered speaker to take their place.
Order of business
The order of speakers at the public forum will generally be the order in which the application forms are received and published in the business paper. The Mayor or their delegate may determine a different order of speakers at the public forum.
Speakers
Each speaker is allowed three minutes to address Council. This time is strictly enforced by the chairperson.
Speakers must not digress from the item they have applied to address Council on. If a speaker digresses to irrelevant matters, the chairperson may direct the speaker not to do so.
Speakers are not permitted to use or present any props, audio or visual material. Any written material must be lodged as a submission upon registration or provided to Council staff at the forum. The General Manager or their delegate may refuse to allow this written material to be presented.
Questions
A Councillor may ask a maximum of two questions of a speaker. Speakers are under no obligation to answer a question put by a Councillor. Answers are limited to one (1) minute. Speakers cannot ask questions of the council, Councillors or council staff.
Online participants
The email confirmation for online speakers will include Zoom log-in details and passwords.
Personal meeting IDs and Zoom log-in details must not be shared. People who have not applied via Council’s website will not be accepted into the online public forum.
It is the responsibility of the speaker to ensure that they can access the meeting remotely on their device. Council staff are not able to provide technical support. Speakers experiencing technical issues or who cannot be heard may be asked to leave the Zoom call.
Attendees should log into Zoom 15 minutes before the start of the public forum. Speakers should log into Zoom with their names as listed in their application form.
Online participants are not permitted to share their screens to display messages, images or videos. Participants must not take a recording or screenshots of the public forum for posting on social media without prior authorisation from Council.
Online participants should only have their Zoom video on when speaking and answering questions from Councillors. All participants should be aware of what appears in the background of their video. All participants should remain on “mute” until invited to speak.
Privacy
The names of speakers and people lodging written submissions will be published in the agenda and minutes on Council’s website. No other personal or contact details will be published.
Written submissions may be shared with Councillors and Council staff but will not be published (although they may be sought via an information access request under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009).
Webcasting of public forums
Public forums will be recorded and webcast. Speakers and other attendees may have their image, voice and personal information recorded, publicly broadcast and retained by Council. By attending a public forum, members of the public consent to this use of their image, voice and personal information.
Speakers not wishing to be captured on camera or recorded may provide Council with a written submission.
Council does not accept any liability for statements made or actions taken by individuals at a public forum that are defamatory or are otherwise contrary to law. These statements and actions are not protected by privilege and may be the subject of legal proceedings and potential liability.
The recording of the public forum will generally be made publicly available within one business day of the meeting. If the chairperson or General Manager believe that publication may be unlawful then an edited version of the webcast may be published on Council’s website, including a notice of this decision.
Access to recordings of public meetings is provided on Council’s website for personal and non-commercial use only. Video and audio contained in a recording of a Council meeting or event must not be altered, reproduced, or republished without the permission of Council. Copyright of all recordings remains with Council.
Recordings of meetings will be retained and disposed of in accordance with the State Records Act 1998.
Conduct at public forums
Speakers must comply with the Code of Meeting Practice and all other relevant Council codes, policies and procedures. Speakers must refrain from engaging in disorderly conduct, publicly alleging breaches of the Code of Conduct or making other potentially defamatory statements.
If the chairperson considers that a speaker has engaged in disorderly conduct, they may ask the person to refrain from the inappropriate behaviour and to withdraw and apologise for any inappropriate comments.
If a speaker fails to comply with a request from the chairperson, the chairperson may require the person to stop speaking or expel them from the forum. Online speakers may be muted, have their video disabled or be expelled from the Zoom call. The chairperson may also adjourn the public forum.
Where a speaker engages in misconduct, the General Manager or their delegate may refuse further applications from that person to speak at public forums for any length of time they consider appropriate.