Council seeking feedback on two batches of policies

Bega Valley Shire Council is seeking community feedback on various Council policies and the Code of Meeting Practice procedure, in line with the requirements of the Local Government Act 1993.

policy animation.

24 July 2025

Bega Valley Shire Council is seeking community feedback on various Council policies and the Code of Meeting Practice procedure, in line with the requirements of the Local Government Act 1993.

CEO Anthony McMahon said Council has more than 60 policies covering the breadth of its operations.

“While the review is a procedural requirement, it’s also a good opportunity to make sure Council policies provide clear information about what the community can expect in their interactions with Council and Councillors and the way decisions are made,” Mr McMahon said.

“While the review of some policies only require minor amendments, other policies will be supported by newly endorsed procedures.

“The Code of Meeting Practice provides a uniform set of meeting rules for Council and Councillors to help ensure more accessible, orderly, effective and efficient meetings.

“This review is timely as we have been able to consider the impacts of the release of the Office of Local Government Free Speech Guideline in June this year.

“The guideline emphasises the importance of free speech for elected officials and provides guidance on how it should be balanced with other considerations, such as the code of conduct and defamation law.”

The draft policies and Code of Meeting Practice are on public exhibition until 22 August.

If submissions received during the public exhibition period is a major change to the purpose, scope or intent of the policy, the policy will be presented back to Council with staff recommendations on addressing the feedback before the final policy is adopted.

Batch 2 policies on public exhibition are:

Community Wellbeing
Parks, Aquatics and Recreation
Environmental Management
Biosecurity and Weed Management
Environmental Sustainability for Council Operations
Trees and vegetation on Council managed land in urban areas
Families and Children
Environmental and Public Health
Burning Off in Open Areas
Risk Management
Work Health and Safety
Financial management
Information (Records) Management
Social Media
Public Interest Disclosures.

Batch 3 policies on public exhibition are:

Inclusive Communities
Arts and Culture
Volunteering
Community Grants Program
Development Administration
Pesticide Use
Climate Change
Flood and Sea level rise
On-site Sewerage Management
Planning Agreements
Heritage works of a minor nature
Communication
Fraud and Corruption Prevention
Use of council seal (recommending revocation and replacing with a draft procedure).

These draft policies and the draft Code of Meeting Practice procedure are available for review on our Have Your Say webpage.

All of Council’s currently adopted policies can be viewed on Council’s website at https://bega.pulsesoftware.com/Pulse/Public.aspx?page=publicpolicies

Making an enquiry

All media enquiries and interview requests are coordinated by Council's Communication and Engagement team under the adopted Communications Policy. To view this policy, visit Public Policies and search 'communications'.

To submit a media enquiry or to request an interview:

email [email protected]
call 02 6499 2222

Councillors

Councillors can be contacted directly for enquiries regarding decisions of the elected Council and non-operational matters. Interviews with the Mayor should be arranged through the Communication and Engagement team contact details above.

Receiving information

If you’re a journalist or media organisation that would like to receive media releases and notifications about media opportunities, please email your name, title and contact details to [email protected] and we will add you to our distribution list.

You can also subscribe to Bega Valley Together and Business News, Council's fortnightly e-newsletters, or follow @begavalleyshirecouncil on Facebook and Instagram.

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Contact Us

02 6499 2222
[email protected]
Zingel Place
PO Box 492
Bega NSW 2550
Monday to Friday 9.00AM to 4.30PM
Administration building Zingel Place Bega
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ABN: 26 987 935 332

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