Extraordinary Councillor Briefing and Workshop Session - 27 Apr 2026 9:00 AM

Article-worthy topics

• Revised Media and Corporate Communications Policy
  A revised Media and Corporate Communications Policy was discussed so it can align with and implement the legislative changes. The report states this is a recommended action advised by the Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers.
  Residents may see changes to council media statements, public messaging and communication protocols.

Important topics

• Legislative reforms to official spokesperson rules
  Councillors considered information about amendments to the Local Government Act 2009 that change the statutory provisions for the official spokesperson for local governments.
  These changes may affect how council communicates publicly and who is authorised to speak on behalf of council.
• Revised Media and Corporate Communications Policy
  A revised Media and Corporate Communications Policy was discussed so it can align with and implement the legislative changes. The report states this is a recommended action advised by the Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers.
  Residents may see changes to council media statements, public messaging and communication protocols.
• Further committee consideration
  Councillors noted, discussed and provided feedback on the policy information, and a report will be provided to a Finance and Governance committee for consideration.
  The matter is not final yet and will return through the committee process before any formal adoption or implementation.

Resident impacts

• No final policy adoption or formal decision was recorded in the extracted text.
• The meeting focused on internal communications governance rather than service delivery, infrastructure or development approvals.
• Residents may be affected later if council changes its official spokesperson and communications policy arrangements.

Next steps

• Prepare and provide a report on the communications policy matter to the Finance and Governance committee for consideration.
  Future committee meeting; date not stated.

Extracted minutes text

27 APRIL 2026 SPECIAL COUNCILLOR BRIEFING AND WORKSHOP SESSION MEETING NO. 2026(08)] of 2 SPECIAL COUNCILLOR BRIEFING AND WORKSHOP SESSION MEETING NO. 2026(08) 27 APRIL 2026 REPORT COUNCILLORS’ATTENDANCE: Mayor Teresa Harding; Councillors Jacob Madsen, Pye Augustine, Deputy Mayor Nicole Jonic, Paul Tully, Marnie Doyle (via audio-link), Andrew Antoniolli, David Martin and Jim Madden COUNCILLOR’S APOLOGIES: Nil OFFICERS’ATTENDANCE: Chief Executive Officer (Sonia Cooper), General Manager Community, Cultural and Economic Development (Ben Pole), General Manager Corporate Services (Matt Smith), General Manager Environment and Sustainability (Kaye Cavanagh), Executive Services Manager (Wade Wilson...