Guidelines for Speakers at Council Committees
As part of our democratic process, the City invites members of the community to speak directly to Councillors during Committee meetings about items on the agenda.
To enable the Committee to hear a wide range of views and concerns within the limited time available, we encourage people interested in speaking at Committee to:
- Register to speak by calling Council’s Secretariat on 02 9265 9310 before 12.00 noon on the day of the meeting.
- Check the recommendation in the Committee report before speaking, as it may address your concerns so that you just need to indicate your support for the recommendation.
- Note that there is a three minute time limit for each speaker (with a warning bell at two minutes) and prepare your presentation to cover your major points within that time.
- Avoid repeating what previous speakers have said and focus on issues and information that the Committee may not already know.
- If there is a large number of people interested in the same item as you, try to nominate three representatives to speak on your behalf and to indicate how many people they are representing.
- Before speaking, turn on the microphone by pressing the button next to it and speak clearly so that everyone in the Council Chamber can hear.
- Be prepared to quickly return to the microphone and respond briefly to any questions from Councillors, after all speakers on an item have made their presentations.
Committee meetings can continue until very late, particularly when there is a long agenda and a large number of speakers. This impacts on speakers who have to wait until very late, as well as Council staff and Councillors who are required to remain focused and alert until very late. At the start of each Committee meeting, the Committee Chair will reorder agenda items so that those items with speakers can be dealt with first.
Committee reports are online here, with printed copies available at Sydney Town Hall immediately prior to the meeting. Council staff are also available prior to the meeting to assist.
