Council & Business
2 January, 2026
Question time on the cards
Community questions ahead of council meetings could be back on the table for the Central Goldfields Shire Council.
During the December council meeting, the shire’s new mayor Ben Green said he plans to propose that members of the public are able to ask questions at the meetings.
Currently community members are able to attend council meetings in person, or watch online, but are not able to ask questions.
However, the possible proposal isn’t an unfamiliar one to the council meeting chamber.
In the September 2022 council meeting, councillor Grace La Vella said she would consider opening meetings up to question time in the near future.
“It is proposed to consider this request when a broader review is underway of the governance rules, which is coming up very shortly,” she said.
Cr La Vella said feedback had been received from the Victorian Pride Lobby and Ratepayers Victoria seeking a question time.
However, the subsequent gover-nance rules did not fulfill the request.
In September last year, Central Goldfields Shire CEO Peter Harriott said reviewed governance rules would be considered by council in the next six months
If the proposal were to be adopted it would be a return to form for the shire according to council documents from 2018 and their current Freedom of Information statement.
They explain a public question time was previously held before a council meeting began inviting residents to submit written questions.
Cr Green said an outcome will be decided on in 2026.
“Let’s see how we go with that next year,” he said.