Election Reality Check
The most important boundary a newly elected member must learn during their first six months.
What is staying out of operational delivery and focusing on strategic direction?
What is letting staff handle daily operations while council sets direction?
What is respecting the separation between elected members and administration?
A member strongly disagrees with a development or policy report recommendation and demands that the authoring officer alter their written report prior to publication. Your response.
What is respecting the independence of professional advice, raising concerns through debate, or moving an amendment in the chamber?
What is directing feedback through the CEO without pressuring staff to change technical advice?
What is allowing staff to provide impartial advice while council retains final voting authority?
The statutory standard that mandates professional conduct, mutual respect, and courtesy in all member-to-member and member-to-staff interactions.
What are the Behavioral Standards for Council Members?
What is the mandatory Behavioral Standards framework under Section 75E?
What a councillor must do when contacted directly by journalists for a statement on council business.
What is directing the inquiry to the official council spokesperson?
What is following the council’s applicable Policies and declining off-the-cuff comments?
What is clarifying that individual members do not speak on behalf of the council?
The statutory rules governing informal member workshops to ensure they do not become secret decision-making forums.
What are the Information or Briefing Session provisions under Section 90A?
What is Section 90A governing informal gatherings and briefings?
What is ensuring informal workshops remain non-decision-making policy discussions open to the public?
What must happen before a councillor’s campaign promise can actually be carried out by staff.
What is getting it formally approved and funded in the council budget and strategic plan
What is securing a majority vote and budget allocation?
What is fitting the promise into long-term financial plans?
The lawful channel for a councillor seeking operational information or staff assistance.
What is submitting requests through the CEO or established member interaction protocols?
What is directing all inquiries to the Chief Executive Officer?
What is following the Appropriate Request for Information or Staff Interaction Policy?
The leadership partnership that sets the tone for the entire council.
What is the relationship between the Mayor (Principal Member) and the CEO?
What is the Mayor-CEO working partnership?
What is the liaison between the principal elected leader and chief executive?
The statutory public document where elected members must record their financial interests, employment, and land holdings within 30 days of election.
What is the Register of Members' Interests?
What is completing the statutory Primary Return/Ordinary Return under Section 65?
What is submitting the public Register of Interests?
The overarching long-term plan that governs council spending.
What is the Long Term Financial Plan & Strategic Management Plan?
What is the corporate strategic framework?
What a new council must do before cancelling an unpopular project inherited from the previous council.
What is evaluating the legal and financial costs of stopping the project?
What is looking at the contracts and facts before making a decision?
What is conducting an objective risk assessment?
How council members should handle hostile social media commentary targeting council decisions.
What is letting administration handle responses while avoiding personal online debates?
What is adhering to behavioral standards regarding public statements?
What is referring commentors to official council channels and remaining professional?
How a councillor must address concerns regarding an individual staff member's performance.
What is raising the matter privately with the CEO?
What is directing staff performance feedback strictly to the CEO?
What is avoiding public criticism of staff and using internal CEO channels?
The mandatory post-election return that ALL candidates (successful and unsuccessful) must lodge under Part 14 of the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999 to report campaign gifts and donations.
What is the Campaign Donation Return (and Large Gift Return)?
What is lodging the Part 14 Campaign Donation Return with the Returning Officer (ECSA)?
What is submitting disclosure returns for campaign donations and gifts?9
The mandatory requirement for all council members within their first 12 months in office.
What is completing the prescribed mandatory induction and training standards?
What is fulfilling the LGA Training Standards?
What is completing mandatory training in behavior, governance, legal duties, and finance?
The governance boundary crossed when a newly elected member directly instructs a staff member to repave a constituent’s driveway ahead of schedule
What is violating role boundaries by attempting to direct council staff instead of working through the CEO?
What is stepping outside policy into operational management?
What is breaching Section 99 by bypassing administrative leadership?
A councillor wants to publish confidential legal advice online to prove transparency. Why this is wrong.
What is it waives legal professional privilege and breaches confidentiality requirements?
What is it violates confidentiality rules and exposes council to legal risk?
What is it breaches general member duties regarding confidential information?
The formal governance step required to translate a member's request into lawful, executable administration work.
What is submitting a notice of motion and passing a formal council resolution?
What is converting campaign commitments into formal council resolutions and budget items?
What is embedding strategic initiatives into the adopted Annual Business Plan?
The procedural document a Chair relies on to manage public gallery disruptions and restore meeting order.
What are the Local Government (Procedures at Meetings) Regulations 2013?
The consultation process council must undertake when service levels or major policies are set to change.
What is public consultation under the council’s adopted engagement policy?
What is engaging the community on service trade-offs and financial realities?
What is executing formal community engagement under legal guidelines?
The mandatory procedure a member must follow when a matter before council directly impacts their personal business or property interests.
What is declaring a Material Conflict of Interest and leaving the meeting room during debate and vote?
What is declaring a conflict of interest and removing oneself from the chamber?
What is formally disclosing a material or general conflict of interest before the item is discussed?
Election campaign friction spills over into council meetings, causing disruption during debates.
What is enforcing meeting procedures and arranging a facilitated orientation or workshop?
What is using chair powers to maintain order and scheduling mediation?
What is applying behavioral standards and bringing in a facilitator?
The policy a council must adopt and implement to address complaints, persistent friction or formal conduct complaints.
What is the council's Behavioral Management Policy?
What is the Section 262B Behavioral Management Framework?
The mandatory council process established to set annual targets and evaluate the Chief Executive Officer's performance.
What is the CEO Performance Review Committee?
What is conducting the formal statutory CEO performance appraisal?
The safeguards that prevent a new council from making unlawful decisions during the post-election transition.
What is relying on governance advice, statutory policies, and administrative delegations?
What is adhering to administrative delegations, statutory frameworks, and formal governance advice?
What is maintaining strong corporate governance structures and administrative partnership?