Mayor column: with Cr John Harvie

Published on 06 November 2025

It is hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner and soon after that we will be celebrating Australia Day. I’m pleased to share the news that I will be conducting a citizenship ceremony and that twelve people will have Australian citizenship conferred on them on that day.

As someone that was born in Scotland and arrived on these shores in 1973 and who became an Australian citizen in 1978, I understand the importance of the occasion. To become an Australian and have this honour conferred on you, on Australia Day, and being able to celebrate it every year thereafter is the ultimate experience.

Speaking of Australia Day, I hope that some of you, readers, took the time to nominate a person that you consider deserving of a Murray River Council Australia day award.

Some of you may be aware that on council meeting days, councillors gather from 9.30am until midday for a formal ‘briefing session’. This session is used to brief council on matters of importance that staff may be working on or changes to state and federal legislation and regulations. Councillors can also ask questions of executive staff to clarify matters contained in that day’s council business paper which leads to better informed decisions.

However, from the 1st January 2026, briefing sessions will be banned after the minister issued an updated ‘Code of Meeting Practice’.

What this change means is that councillors will need to read the business paper, note any questions they may have and submit them with notice to the appropriate officer prior to the council meeting to ensure that they will receive a meaningful response when they ask the question at the meeting. This will, most likely, lead to longer meeting times.

Alternatively, council can convene the ‘briefing session’, advertise it and live stream the session so that members of the public are able to view the proceedings. Council will have to consider and decide what course of action it will take at its next meeting on 18th November.

The code also requires: any meeting between any number of councillors to discuss any matter listed in the council meeting agenda or any matter that may potentially come before council for consideration at any time in the future, must be advertised and live streamed to ensure transparency.

The changes are to ensure that council decisions are made in the council chambers at formal meetings with full transparency and not amongst a group of councillors outside of the meeting.

What do you think?