Ask a question

You can submit a question to be read and answered at the end of a Council meeting.

Things to know

  • If you are asking a question on behalf of a group, you must explain the nature of the group and your role in representing it.
  • You may submit one public question per meeting.
  • To have your question read aloud and answered at the meeting, you must attend the meeting in person.
  • Questions and responses will be recorded in the meeting minutes regardless of whether you attend.
  • We only accept written questions: statements, comments or opinions will not be accepted.
  • Questions asked and answered by Council in the last 12 months will not be accepted.

You must adhere to our Governance Rules and Election Period Policy for all proposed questions.

Anonymity

You have 2 options when submitting a question:

  1. remain anonymous to the community, with only your question published in the meeting minutes
  2. have your name and suburb published with the meeting minutes.

Remember

  • Your identity will always be known to our staff and councillors.
  • If you attend the meeting and have not requested anonymity, your question will be read aloud.
  • If you attend the meeting and have requested anonymity, your question will not be read aloud.
  • If you attend and your question is read aloud, you can request to remain anonymous in the minutes when published.

Start your submission

Click here to view form.

Privacy collections notice

We collect the personal information you provide in this form for the purpose of:

  • assessing your question against our Meeting Procedures and Governance Rules
  • contacting you regarding your question, the outcome of the assessment, and its presentation to Council
  • other directly related purposes.

Your personal information may be disclosed to:

  • members of Council's Governance team
  • Councillors.

We may also use the information you provide to help improve our services and processes.

If you do not provide the requested personal information, you will not be able to present your question at the Council meeting.

You may request access to, or correction of, your personal information by contacting the Governance team at council.meetings@banyule.vic.gov.au.

When a question may not be allowed

Under Rule 68 of the Governance Rules and Election Period Policy, the Mayor or Chair may refuse a public question on advice from the Chief Executive Officer and Manager Governance and Integrity.

A question may be refused if it:

  • has not been submitted in accordance with Rule 68
  • relates to matters outside Council’s functions, powers or responsibilities
  • is defamatory, offensive, abusive, indecent, irrelevant, trivial or otherwise objectionable
  • has already been answered during the meeting
  • is intended to embarrass a councillor or Council staff member, or relates to the personal views or actions of an individual councillor or staff member
  • relates to the conduct or performance of a councillor or Council staff member
  • concerns personnel matters, personal hardship, industrial matters, contractual matters, proposed developments, legal advice, security matters, or any issue that may prejudice Council or another person
  • requires advice from the Chief Executive Officer
  • would require an unreasonable diversion of Council resources to prepare a response
  • cannot be answered without disclosing confidential information or breaching legislative confidentiality requirements
  • relates to a councillor conduct matter that is currently subject to a formal process, such as internal arbitration or a councillor conduct panel process
  • relates to information that is legally privileged or subject to an active legal investigation
  • has already been asked and answered by Council through the public question process within the previous 12 months

Contact

If you have questions about public question time, contact us on 9490 4222 or council.meetings@banyule.vic.gov.au.

Deadlines

Questions must be submitted by 12 pm on the Friday before the meeting.


During the meeting

  • If similar questions are submitted, then they will be responded to collectively.
  • No duplicate questions will be accepted.
  • No debate or discussion of the questions or answers is permitted.

Accessibility

If you have decided to not remain anonymous, then you must attend the meeting in person. There are accessibility tools available to guide you. Cérge is an online tool that helps people with disability plan and access venues with confidence by providing clear information about accessibility and sensory experiences before they arrive. It also enables users to share their needs with staff in advance, supporting more informed, inclusive and personalised service.

This tool is available for Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub where meetings are held.

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