Council meetings are an integral part of the planning, policy and decision-making process of Council. We encourage members of the public to attend Council meetings and participate during public question time.
To enable the preparation of a considered response, it's best to submit your question nice and early. You've got up until 3:00pm on the day of the meeting to have the question lodged with Council – any questions received after that time will be treated as correspondence, with a written response provided as per our Customer Service Charter.
As to the form of questions, they must be in writing, in English, and be 75 words or less. Questions may include a short preamble (up to 150 words). A maximum of one question will be accepted from any one person per Council meeting.
Please include your question in an email to Council titled "Public Question Time" by 3:00pm on the day of the meeting. Council can be emailed via info@queenscliffe.vic.gov.au.
Please enclose your question in an envelope marked "Public Question Time" and addressed to:
Borough of Queenscliffe PO Box 93 Queenscliff VIC 3225
Please visit Council offices at 50 Learmonth Street, Queenscliff between 9:00am and 4:30pm weekdays, where one of our friendly customer service team will assist you with lodging your question.
Considering the general rights of citizens to take part in the conduct of Council affairs, if providing a question in writing and or in English unreasonably prevents or hinders participation in public question time, assistance with submitting questions is available from Council via an interpreter service if required.
All questions responded to and answers provided during Public Question Time shall be recorded in the Public Minutes of the Council Meeting. For assistance with public questions, please contact Council.
Purpose: The purpose of the Public Question Time Guidelines is to ensure that all public questions can be answered within the allocated timeframe for Public Question Time, and prevent unhelpful debate.
Council has provided the opportunity for any member of the public to submit a question relating to any issues in which Council has a direct interest or responsibility to the Ordinary Meeting of Council usually held on the fourth Wednesday of every month. Wherever possible, Council will answer the public questions as part of the Ordinary Council Meeting.
Protocol: There is a need to cover some simple protocols as each meeting may involve people attending for the first time.
Process for responding to Public Questions and the Role of the Mayor or Chairperson:
The purpose of the Public Question Time Guidelines is to ensure that all public questions can be answered within the allocated timeframe for Public Question Time, and prevent unhelpful debate.
The full guidelines can be read in the accordion at the bottom of this page.