Publicly available documents

This Public Transparency Policy (Policy) outlines what Council will do to maximise transparency in Council decision making, access to and availability of information and commits Council to key principles in how it will achieve this. Council adopted its current Public Transparency Policy 2023 (PDF - 237KB) or Public Transparency Policy 2023 (Word - 64KB) on 19 September 2023. 

Council information includes but is not limited to:

Documents such as:

• Plans and reports adopted by Council
• Council policies;
• Project and service plans;
• Templates concerning grant applications, tenders and tender evaluation material;
• Service agreements, contracts, leases and licences;
• Council leases, permits and notices of building and occupancy; and
• Relevant technical reports and / or research that informs decision making.

Process information such as:

• Practice notes and operating procedures;
• Application processes for approvals, permits, grants and access to Council services;
• Decision making processes;
• Guidelines and manuals;
• Community engagement processes; and
• Complaints handling processes.

Council records will, at a minimum, be available on Council’s website:

• Council meeting agendas and minutes (not including confidential information);
• Terms of Reference and records relating to Council Advisory Committees Meetings;
• Registers of gifts, benefits and hospitality for Administrators and members of Council Staff
• Registers of travel undertaken by Administrators or members of Council Staff;
• Registers of Conflicts of Interest disclosed by Administrators or Council Staff ;
• Submissions made by Council to other levels of government;
• Register of donations and grants made by Council;
• Register of leases entered into by Council, as lessor and lessee;
• Register of Election campaign donations;
• Submissions received under section 223 of the Local Government Act 1989 until its repeal or received through any other community engagement process undertaken by Council.

The Local Government Act 2020 requires that Councillors and key Council staff submit a record of their personal interests to Council.  Declaring personal interests and conflicts of interest ensures decision makers perform their duty in an impartial way and gives the community greater trust in the integrity of the decision-making process.  At the City of Whittlesea, the following people are required to submit Personal Interests Returns:

• An Administrator
• The Chief Executive Officer
• All members of ELT (Directors and Executive Managers)
• All Managers
• Members of staff who have a statutory or delegated power, duty or function and have been nominated by the CEO because of the nature of their duties or functions of their role.

A Personal Interest Return must be completed within 30 days of the commencement in their role, and then biannually in March and September of each subsequent year.

The Victorian Government imposes penalties for false and incomplete information provided in any Personal Interest Return, and for failing to lodge the Personal Interest Return within the legislated timeframes.

Find linked below summaries of the Personal Interest Returns of Council’s specified persons:

• Summary of Personal Interest Returns 2022 (Excel - 30KB)
• Summary of Personal Interest Returns 2023 (Excel - 27.2KB)
• Summary of Personal Interest Returns - September 2023 (Excel - 37KB)

Council can exercise its powers by resolution of the whole Council at a Council meeting, or through members of Council staff acting on its behalf. 

In practice, most of Council’s decision-making occurs through delegations. Effective delegation also enables Council to focus more on strategic policy issues and less on day to day administrative or operational matters.

Delegations are used to transfer decision-making from Council and the CEO to other members of Council staff.  This enables decisions to be made by members of Council staff with the appropriate skills and knowledge.  A decision of the delegate, once made, is for all legal purposes a decision of the Council.

The Local Government Act 2020 as well as other legislation makes express provision for the appointment of delegates to act on behalf of Council.   There are two forms of delegation from Council –

• delegations made directly to the CEO; and
• delegations made directly to members of Council staff.

The Delegations Policy and Procedural Guidelines establishes a framework for delegating authority that facilitates efficiency, encourages delegation of decision-making to the lowest competent position within the organisation and achieves the best outcomes for Council and the community.

The Audit & Risk Committee is an independent advisory committee of Council and its role is to report to Council and provide appropriate advice and recommendations on matters presented to it.  It acts in this capacity by monitoring, reviewing, and advising on issues within its scope of responsibility and assisting Council’s governance obligations to its community. 

The Committee has no executive authority and no delegated financial responsibilities and is therefore, independent of management.

The Audit & Risk Committee’s responsibilities and authority are outlined in the Audit and Risk Committee Charter (PDF - 135KB) or Audit and Risk Committee Charter (Word - 53KB).

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) requires Council to provide the public with access to certain Council information. This Act ensures that individuals and organisations can effectively exercise their right to obtain access to government information which may affect them.   

You can request access to Council documents through the Freedom of Information Act. Please visit our freedom of information webpage to obtain further information regarding how to submit a Freedom of Information Application.

Available for download:

• Freedom of Information Part II Statement (PDF - 665KB)
• Freedom of Information Part II Statement (Word - 776KB)