Council Meetings

West Coast Council meetings are open to the public to attend. You can attend a meeting as an observer, or stream the meeting on YouTube. Members of the public can also contribute to Public Question Time.  

Public Question Time is run under Regulation 36 of the Local Government (Meeting Procedures) Regulations 2025, with at least 15 minutes made available for questions by members of the public. 

If you have something you’d like to ask during Public Question Time, you can submit your question in writing prior to the meeting (a Question on Notice) or ask in person at the meeting (a Question Without Notice).   

The Public Question Time section of the meeting agenda is usually shortly after the introductory and procedural matters on the agenda. All questions responded to at the meeting will be summarised in the Council meeting minutes. 

Responses to questions will usually be answered by the Mayor.  However, some questions might be referred to the General Manager, Manager or a Councillor.  In some instances, questions might also require further research by Council and be taken on notice.  A written response will then be provided by the General Manager.   

Questions on Notice 

Regulation 38 of the Local Government (Meeting Procedures) Regulations 2025 calls the submission of a written question, Questions on Notice. 

These must be submitted to the General Manager at least 7 days before the date of the Council meeting.  Your question will be published in the Agenda and Minutes of the Council Meeting. You do not need to be present at the meeting to ask your question. Questions on Notice can be submitted: 

• in person at the West Coast Council Office, 11 Sticht Street Queenstown 
• By post to West Coast Council, PO Box 63 Queenstown (please be mindful of mail delivery times to meet submission deadline)
• Via email to ea@westcoast.tas.gov.au. Please clearly indicate in the email that it is a question for the next Council meeting. 

Questions Without Notice 

Questions Without Notice are those questions:

• Asked in person during Public Question Time 
• Received in writing within 7 days of the meeting (those received 7 days prior to the meeting are Questions on Notice) 

At the Council Meeting: 

1. Wait for the Mayor to invite members of the public to ask a question. 
2. Stand and wait to be called on. 
3. If there are several people wishing to ask questions, the Mayor will determine the order in which questions are asked.  
4. When called, state your name and ask your question. 
5. Take a seat when the response is provided – there is no debate of questions or responses during Public Question Time 

Important information 

If you intend to ask a question, it’s important to understand the requirements: 

• Questions must relate to the activities of the Council. 
• Questions should be clear, with a brief background provided if appropriate 
• Statements will not be accepted 
• The Mayor may limit the number of questions asked per person to ensure time requirements are met
• Where a question requests information previously published by Council, a response may simply refer the member of the public to the appropriate documentation. 
• People asking questions consent to being publicly live streamed. 

A question will be refused if it: 

• is deemed offensive, inappropriate, defamatory or unlawful. 
• relates to confidential matters, legal advice or actual or possible legal proceedings. 
• relates to any matter which would normally be discussed in the Closed Session of a Council meeting  

If a question is refused, a person’s name and the reason for refusal will be published in the Agenda or Minutes.