Address to Councillors (Public Forum)

At Council, we encourage our community to have your say on issues and topics being discussed at upcoming Council Meetings. Hearing directly from people impacted by the decisions that Council makes is an important part of our democratic process.

In addition to participating in Council’s community engagement activities, you can apply to address the Mayor and Councillors about issues that are on the agenda for the Council meeting.

Council’s Code of Meeting Practice (the rules governing Council meetings ) sets out the requirements for speakers.

When is a Public Forum held?

If an applicant is approved to speak, a Public Forum will be held prior to the commencement of the Council meeting.

The Public Forum will commence at 6.00pm in the Council Chambers and conclude prior to the commencement of the Council meeting at 6.30pm. The Public Forum will be livestreamed.

If there are no applicants, the Public Forum will not proceed.

How can I participate?

You can apply to address the Mayor and Councillors on items that are on the Council agenda, subject to the approval of the General Manager. Public Forum sessions are limited to 3 minutes for and 3 minutes against any issue:

Read the Code of Meeting Practice to ensure you meet the criteria.
Read the agenda to identify the item on which you wish to speak. Read the Council report and understand the recommendation to Council before deciding to apply as it may address your concerns already.
Apply in writing to the General Manager no later than 12pm (noon) on the before the Council meeting. That is, the Tuesday of the week of the Council Meeting by filling a Request to Address Council form.
You will be contacted on Tuesday afternoon to advise the outcome of your application.
If more than one applicant seeks to speak on the same item, Council staff will arrange connect prospective speakers and request that one representative be nominated to speak on behalf of a group.

What can I expect on the night?

While it can be intimidating to make a public speech, and there are protocols and procedure you must follow at the Public Forum, remember Councillors and staff are people just like you. They are interested in your experience and the information you can give them to help them make better decisions.

We understand that you are passionate about the item to which you will address Council and remind you to ensure this is directed appropriately. Speaker(s) must refrain from engaging in disorderly conduct, publicly alleging breaches of the Code of Conduct or making other potentially defamatory or inappropriate statements.

Public Forum speakers must attend in person.
You should arrive 5 minutes before the commencement of the Public Forum and make yourself known to the Council Services team before taking a seat in the public gallery.
The Mayor will introduce the item and invite speaker(s) to address Councillors.
You will be asked to address Council from the podium. This allows the Councillors in the room and anyone watching the livestream to hear you.
Speaker(s) in favour of the item will speak first for up to 3 minutes.
Speaker(s) against of the item will speak second for up to 3 minutes.
Speaker(s) may only address Council on the agenda item that they have applied to speak on and must not digress.
Public Forum is not a debate, speaker(s) will only address Councillors once.
Councillors may ask questions to clarify the position of the speaker(s) or statements made but this is not designed to be a discussion. Questions and answers should be direct, succinct and without argument.
Speaker(s) cannot ask questions of the Councillors or Council staff.
Councillors will not debate the item or make a decision on the item during the Public Forum.
Approved speakers in Public Forum will need to provide any written, visual or audio material to be presented in support of their address to the Public Forum prior to the meeting to ensure that it is compatible with Council’s IT equipment. The General Manager may refuse to allow such material to be presented.
The Mayor will close the Public Forum.
The item that was the subject of the Public Forum will be discussed by Councillors at the Council meeting. If you are not able to wait to hear their decision, you can find out what happened by watching the livestream or recording of the Council meeting on Council’s website.

Livestreaming of Public Forum

The Public Forum is broadcast live to the public and recorded.

This is a mandatory requirement, as such if you do not consent on the application form, we will be unable to approve your request to address a Public Forum. By speaking at a Public Forum you are giving your consent to your image and voice being broadcast to the world. Recordings are copyright protected, are published on Council’s website and retained and accessed as a record of Council in accordance with relevant legislation.

Defamatory comments and personal information

You are reminded that you must not make defamatory comments and/or allegations about Councillors, staff, or other community members. This may lead to suspension of the Public Forum and/or legal action. Council accepts no liability for any defamatory remarks or inappropriate comments that might be made.

Further, you should ensure that you have consent to discuss other people’s personal information.

Opinions expressed or statements made by individual persons during the course of Council meetings are the opinions or statements of those individual persons and are not opinions or statements of Council.

Statutory context

The Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 and the 2025 Model Code of Meeting Practice for Local Councils in NSW require meetings of the council and public forums to be livestreamed and require the recordings to be retained on Council’s website.

Council’s Code of Meeting Practice complies with the 2025 Model Meeting Code. In livestreaming Council meetings and Public Forum, Council has given consideration to Guidelines issued by the Office of Local Government issued under section 23A of the Local Government Act 1993.

Copyright notice and disclaimer

The electronic transmission of the Public Forum is protected by copyright owned by Cessnock City Council and no part thereof may be copied or recorded or made available to others without the prior written consent of Cessnock City Council. Opinions expressed or statements made by individual persons during the course of the transmission are the opinions or statements of those individual persons and are not opinions or statements of Cessnock City Council. The transmission is not, and shall not, be taken to be an official record of Cessnock City Council or of any meeting or discussion depicted therein.