April 30 2025 meeting – phil beazley

30 April 2025 meeting

There were 2 Notices of Motion, one by Digby Wilson and one by me. Mick had 3 questions and I had 2 Questions with Notice each. These appear in the agenda.

N.B. The Code of Meeting Practice does not allow any councillor to have more than a total of three motions and questions.

1) Digby’s Motion was

That Council review existing quality frameworks and systems to recommend a comprehensive Quality Assurance program that will identify waste and improve the quality of practices, processes, and outcomes for Council services.

108/2025 RESOLUTION

(Moved Cr D Wilson/Seconded Cr N Turnbull)

FOR VOTE – Cr P Beazley, Cr M Graham, Cr P Howard, Cr M McKenzie, Cr J Miller, Cr T

O’Keefe, Cr C Pontin, Cr A Tickle, Cr N Turnbull, Cr D Wilson

AGAINST VOTE – Nil

ABSENT, DID NOT VOTE – Nil

The motion was carried.

2) My motion was

That the General Manager urgently provide a detailed report to Council, within 14 days from this date, pertaining to record keeping procedures at MidCoast Council, which would address the following:

1. What training do all staff receive at MidCoast Council in relation to their record keeping obligations under the State Records Act NSW 1998?

2. How regular is that training?

3. Are all staff assessed on their knowledge of their record keeping obligations?

4. How regular is that assessment?

5. What steps are taken if a staff member’s knowledge of their record keeping obligations is inadequate?

6. Have any steps been taken, since 11 April 2025, to carry out an urgent internal review of record keeping procedures?

This was never going to be agreed to by the councillors but needed to be proposed in a public meeting. It got watered down to

An amendment was moved by Cr A Tickle/Seconded Cr P Howard

That the General Manager provide a report within 14 days of the conclusion of the assessment by State Records NSW including any findings and if there are opportunities for improvement.

FOR VOTE – Cr P Howard, Cr J Miller, Cr C Pontin, Cr A Tickle, Cr N Turnbull, Cr D Wilson

AGAINST VOTE – Cr P Beazley, Cr M Graham, Cr M McKenzie, Cr T O’Keefe

ABSENT, DID NOT VOTE – Nil

The amendment was carried and became the motion.

109/2025 RESOLUTION

Moved Cr A Tickle/Seconded Cr P Howard

That the General Manager provide a report within 14 days of the conclusion of the assessment by State Records NSW including any findings and if there are opportunities for improvement.

FOR VOTE – Cr P Howard, Cr J Miller, Cr C Pontin, Cr A Tickle, Cr N Turnbull, Cr D Wilson, Cr P Beazley, Cr M Graham, Cr M McKenzie

AGAINST VOTE – Cr T O’Keefe

ABSENT, DID NOT VOTE – Nil

3) Mick’s Questions were

QUESTION 1

On 25th October the Hawkes Nest Sewer treatment Plant was listed as costing $27M, in August 2024 it was to be $38M, now it is $50M, what is the status of grant applications for the project, if there are no grants, how will Council fund the project?

QUESTION 2

Can the General Manager please provide three (3) examples of submitted and published ‘Questions with Notice” which ran over one A4 page since the commencement of the elected Council in 2017?

QUESTION 3

Can the General Manager advise who put forward the proposition to the Working Policy Group Meeting of 4th December 2024 to reduce the number of words in a Question with Notice to 50 words?

4) My questions were

QUESTION 1

Page 790 of “Part 4 – Attachments Liveable Communities”, which relates to Agenda item 16:12 at the Council Meeting dated 26 March 2025, talks about a “procedural motion”.

What is the procedural motion in regard to and was it necessitated by procedural errors made by Council and its lawyers, or the Respondents?

QUESTION 2

Page 791 of “Part 4 – Attachments Liveable Communities”, relating to Agenda item 16:12 states, “that prospects of expediently resolving the matter by conciliation was not good”

What reports or documents do you consider Council requires which have not been provided by the Applicant?