Audit report – ‘Publishing information about council meetings and discretionary funds’
In Queensland there is a commitment to open and transparent government. This includes local government principles in the Local Government Act 2009 which include ‘...transparent and effective processes, and decision-making in the public interest’. When published information is easy to find, easy to use, meaningful and timely, it builds trust and confidence in government agencies. Openness in government enhances accountability and increases the participation of members of the community in democratic processes leading to better informed decision-making.
The Local Government Act 2009 and Local Government Regulation 2012 prescribe information that local governments must make publicly available to promote openness, good government and meaningful community engagement. For example, local governments must make information publicly available about council meetings and about discretionary funds budgeted for councillor use.
As part of our audit and monitoring activity, we completed a desktop review of six local government websites and looked at whether they provide timely and easy access to up-to-date information about council meetings and discretionary funds for councillor use.
We find that the six reviewed local governments:
- Meet and exceed publication requirements for council meetings
- Generally meet publication requirements for councillor discretionary funding.
The selected local governments inform the community about upcoming council discussions and finalised council decisions. They enable members of the community to view council meetings, and in some cases support community members to attend and participate in council meetings. All council meeting information is easy to find, easy to use and up to date.
The reviewed local governments generally meet publication requirements for councillor discretionary funding. There are opportunities for them to do more to make people aware of the availability of councillor discretionary funds, and to find out where the funds have gone.
The report makes one recommendation to all local governments to ensure they publish the names of recipients of councillors’ discretionary funds.
