Wanneroo loosens rules for elected members attending meetings online

Wanneroo elected members will have fewer restrictions on attending meetings electronically under a revised Electronic Attendance at Meetings Policy endorsed by the City of Wanneroo’s Policy Review Committee on 31 August.

The changes add Mayor Linda Aitken to a provision that determines whether electronic-attendance arrangements can be used. They also remove clauses that restricted certain forms of electronic attendance.

Legislative requirements for council meetings remain in place.

The review followed an April 2026 request from Cr Phil Bedworth for an early examination of the policy. Administration consulted the WA Local Government Association, known as WALGA, and the City’s Legal and Governance Services team.

The review was guided by WALGA’s eMeeting Guide and its policy on conducting electronic meetings and attendance by electronic means. The City said neither document had been updated in some time.

The policy had also been considered by the Policy Review Committee in August 2025. At that time, the committee approved a revised version subject to removing references to other meetings in the policy and appendix, as well as clause 6.2(a), which concerned electronic attendance at an in-person meeting.

The latest revision applies to the City’s arrangements for elected-member attendance. The supplied decision does not state a separate commencement date or a vote split.

The changes are part of a wider set of policy decisions made by the committee, which also repealed the Coastal Aquatic Safety Policy and Crossovers Subsidy Policy, deferred reviews of three planning policies and approved public consultation on proposed amendments covering childcare services and coastal assets.

The next Policy Review Committee meeting is scheduled for 2 November 2026.

For residents, the revised policy removes specified barriers to elected members joining meetings electronically while retaining the legislative requirements that apply to those meetings.