Wyndham residents are disappointed that no changes have been made to question time under proposed council meeting procedures, despite a councillor calling for meetings to be made more inclusive.
The council released its draft meeting procedures and local laws last Monday night.
If approved, the regulations mean question time will continue to be held towards the end of council meetings, with residents required to submit their questions in writing before the start of the meeting.
Residents must remain in the public gallery for their questions to be answered.
Councillors last month rejected Cr Gautam Gupta’s calls for question time to held at the start of meetings. Cr Gupta also wanted residents to be able to ask their questions in person or submit them via social media.
The council defended its decision, saying that meetings were the ‘‘business end’’ of council processes and there were other opportunities for residents to ask questions.
Point Cook resident Paul Harder said the current process was not very democratic, with questions regularly taken on notice and not answered during meetings. “Often we are told, ‘We don’t have that answer and will get back to you’, and they never do,” he said.
“Last year I asked a question about coal mining, questioning a statement the mayor made in the paper, and all [the council] did was read the same statement back to us.’’
Residents can have their say on the draft meeting procedures at a meeting on November 25.
