Council Meetings

At the 22 July 2026 Council Meeting, Council adopted a revised set of Governance Rules. The Governance Rules outline the procedures for Council Meetings, among other things such as the processes for the election of the Mayor and Deputy, and declarations of conflict of interest.

The revised Governance Rules include a number of changes to the public participation component of Council Meetings. The key changes are outlined below, and the full list can be found in the Governance Rules.

• Verbal submissions on applications for planning permits have been separated from the Council Meeting process. Affected persons will now have the opportunity to make verbal submissions to Council one week prior to a Council Meeting.
• Anyone wishing to make a verbal submission on an item at a Council Meeting must now register in advance, either by completing the online registration form or emailing governance@bawbawshire.vic.gov.au up to 48 hours prior to the meeting with their details and the items they wish to speak to. 
• Petitions must now be submitted by 5pm seven days prior to a Council Meeting, rather than 5pm the day prior to a Council Meeting.
• Questions on notice must now be submitted by 9am the Monday before a Council Meeting, rather than 48 hours prior.
• The number of questions on notice that can be submitted by a community member for a Council Meeting has been reduced from 5 to 3. 
• There will no longer be an opportunity for clarifying or additional questions to be asked following the response to submitted questions on notice. 

The agenda packet for each Council meeting is published in the table below by 5pm on the Friday prior to the meeting.

The outcome of the Council meeting is reported in the unconfirmed Council meeting minutes, which are published in the table below by close of business on the Friday following the Council meeting. Minutes of Council meetings are confirmed at the next meeting of Council.

Access Live Stream

The Current and Upcoming Events section of the table contains future Council meetings. 

Once the Council meeting has commenced a LIVE indicator will appear to the left in the table. To access the live stream of the meeting, simply click the meeting title and the stream will open in a separate window. 

Access Video Recordings

The Most Recent Events section of the table contains video recordings of each Council meeting and the motion of each agenda item. Click in the media column to access the recording. 

Viewers can click on an agenda item from the list below the recording to skip to that section of the meeting. 

The video recording will also be available in the table below by close of business on the Friday following the meeting. 

The table below shows upcoming meetings, including links to view agendas and related attachments. To view the full agenda, select the agenda packet from the dropdown list next to the meeting date.

Council Meetings are governed by the Local Government Act 2020 and Council's Governance Rules and are held in the Fountain Room of the West Gippsland Arts Centre. 

In November 2025, Council adopted its schedule of meeting dates for 2026, which can be viewed at the link below.

Click here to view a copy of Council's Meeting Dates for 2026.(PDF, 51KB)

Confidential Council Meetings, which are not open to the public, are held as required. All resolutions of Council, both lost and carried, procedural ceremonies, absence and attendance of Councillors, committee reports, questions on notice and those who have made a verbal submission in the meeting are also recorded in the meeting minutes.

All Council Meetings are live-streamed, and archived recordings are made available on Council's website for viewing. 

To receive fortnightly Council Meeting Snapshots and monthly Council News Bulletins delivered directly to you, subscribe to Council updates.

As part of Council's commitment to Good Governance, Council will provide opportunities for community members to engage directly in Council Meetings.

There are many ways that you can participate in a Council Meeting, such as:

• Attend the Gallery
• Questions on Notice
• Written and Verbal Submissions
• Petitions
• Support Available
  
  

Council's Governance Rules govern public participation in Council Meetings.

If you have any questions or would like support with your participation in a Council meeting, or if you would like to register to make a verbal submission online, please contact Council's Governance Team on 1300 229 229 or email us on governance@bawbawshire.vic.gov.au

Attending the Gallery

Members of the public are encouraged to attend Council meetings and observe quietly from the Gallery. Meeting times alternate between a 5:30pm start and a 1:00pm start.

Those wishing to make a submission are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes prior to the meeting to ensure a prompt start. The doors to the meeting open 5 minutes before the meeting commences. 

Questions on Notice

Questions on Notice is an opportunity for community members to ask up to 3 questions to clarify strategic, policy or any other appropriate matter that may not be on the Council agenda. The objective of Questions on Notice is to assist Council to remain accountable to the community.

Questions are asked to Council, not to individual Councillors or to the administration. Questions submitted to Council must be received in writing by 9am on the Monday prior to the Council Meeting and clearly state the sender's name and address.

If the sender is in attendance at the meeting, the questions and answers will be read aloud by the Chair and presented to the sender in hard copy form.

For rules and information relating to questions on notice, please see Section 68 of Council's Governance Rules.

Questions can be submitted via email to governance@bawbawshire.vic.gov.au

Submissions

Community members are invited to engage with Council during Community Participation Time at Council Meetings in the form of submissions.

Submissions can be made on officer reports on the Council Meeting agenda:

• Verbally, in person
• Verbally, online
• Written, either in hard copy or electronically, using Council's submission form below

Please note that verbal submissions on applications for planning permits are no longer heard at Council Meetings, and affected persons are now given the opportunity to speak to Council one week prior to the Council Meeting. 

Those who wish to submit in person must complete the online registration form to indicate which agenda they wish to speak to, or email governance@bawbawshire.vic.gov.au with this information, up to 48 hours prior to the Council Meeting.

Submitters will have up to 3 minutes to speak to an item on the agenda and Councillors may choose to ask clarifying questions. Community members with submissions on multiple items have up to 5 minutes to speak on all items.

Electronic/written submissions can be made on any officer report on the agenda. A submission form is made available below when the Council meeting agenda is published until 48 hours prior to the meeting start time. If the form is not available, the cut off time has passed. 

Click here to make a Submission.

For rules and information relating to submissions, please see Section 69 of Council's Governance Rules.

If you have any questions or would like support with your participation in a Council meeting, or if you would like to register to make a verbal submission online, please contact Council's Governance Team on 1300 229 229 or email us on governance@bawbawshire.vic.gov.au

Petitions 

Petitions are a great way for our community to have their concerns heard by Council and ask for action to be taken. 

A petition or joint letter must:

• Be in legible and permanent writing or typed;
• Contain the request of the petitioners;
• Be signed by at least 12 signatories; and,
• Be submitted to Council no later than 5pm seven days prior to the Council meeting.

Electronic Petitions

Community members are encouraged to submit electronic petitions generated by the webform below. 

Petitions can be created and signed using this form and the web link can be circulated to other signatories.

Electronic petitions are reviewed by the Governance Team to ensure they align with Council's Governance Rules before being approved. If you create a submission, it will not appear available for signing until it has been reviewed.

For rules and information relating to petitions, please refer to Section 70 and 71 of Council's Governance Rules.

Click here to Sign a Petition     or     Click here to Create a Petition

Support Available

If you are unsure of the which public participation avenue suits your goals and how you would like to interact with Council, our Governance team is more than happy to provide assistance and help you determine which option is right for you. 

The team are able to help you navigate the Council Meeting documents, the online submission and petition forms, provide information to help you get your desired message to Councillors and participate in the Council Meeting process. 

You can contact the Governance Team by calling 5624 2411 or emailing governance@bawbawshire.vic.gov.au with your query. 

Interpreting Services

TIS National is an interpreting service for people with limited or no English language proficiency and for agencies and organisations that need to communicate with their non-English speaking customers.

TIS National can help with interpretation over the phone or be booked for in person or video appointments, including at Council Meetings if arranged ahead of time. 

To access an immediate phone interpreter or book an appointment in advance, please call 131 450 and follow the prompts. 

Baw Baw Shire Council is increasing its transparency and community engagement by holding Open Community Briefings.

These events are where officers, members of the public and Councillors will discuss a particular topic and share feedback or ideas.

The appropriate information, generally in the form of an officer report, will be made publicly available on Councils website prior to the event.

Traditionally, briefings are held regularly to ensure that Councillors are well informed and in the best possible position to debate matters effectively at Council Meetings. 

Upcoming Open Community Briefings

There are currently no scheduled Open Community Briefings.