Publishing council and committee meeting minutes
Local governments that fail to publish minutes of council meetings and meetings of committees with delegated authority are in breach of the Local Government Act 1995.
These are important public records detailing the decisions made by a local government and should be published at the same time as they are made available to council.
As well as being a requirement under the Act, publishing minutes on a prominent area on a council’s website enables transparent and accountable decision-making, promotes good customer service and provides a record of previous decisions.
A local government must publish on their website:
- unconfirmed minutes of any council meeting or committee meeting
- the part of unconfirmed minutes that record decisions in the case of council or committee meetings being closed to the public
- confirmed minutes of council and committee meetings.
Unconfirmed minutes must be published within:
- 14 days after a council meeting
- 7 days after a committee meeting.
Unconfirmed minutes of council and committee meetings must be confirmed at the next ordinary meeting of council or the committee, where relevant.
A Guide to the Preparation of Agendas and Minutes
Contact the team at DLGSC if you have any questions about this topic 1300 762 511 or lghotline@dlgsc.wa.gov.au