Response to the Editor

Reply to letter of 26-2-2026 “Council hates due process of democracy”.

Parkes Shire councillors are the democratically elected representatives of our community.

Every resident has the opportunity to participate in their election, and then it is the role of those councillors to debate matters fully and make decisions on behalf of the people they represent.

Council’s Code of Meeting Practice, consistent with the standard code used across NSW, clearly allows amendments to motions during the course of debate.

This is a normal and necessary part of democratic decision making.

A requirement to publishing every possible amendment in advance would stifle active debate and undermine the very purpose of open, active, deliberation.

Further, council holds workshops so councillors can develop plans and strategies, matters that cannot be done on the floor of the Chamber.

These sessions are not secret decision making forums, and no resolutions can be passed or even discussed outside a formal council meeting.

All decisions are made transparently in the public council meetings for all to see, they are open to the community, livestreamed, recorded and available.

On the recent Energy from Waste matter, councillors engaged in active discussion and voted according to their judgment and responsibilities.

While council publishes the decisions of each meeting, it is not standard or legislated practice to publish transcripts of individual councillor contributions. They are however livestreamed and available for all to see, each councillor articulated their reason for supporting the motion very clearly.

Parkes Shire Council remains committed to lawful, transparent and accountable processes, at all times guided by the Code of Meeting Practice.

Finally, I encourage the community to supporting your elected members, a role which is at times a difficult and thankless task.

They work hard to represent a wide range of views, and it is natural that councillors will not always agree, just as the community itself does not always agree.

This diversity of views should be respected, it is a healthy reflection of local democracy.

Councillors take their responsibilities seriously, act with the community’s best interests at heart, and at times must make difficult or unpopular decisions as part of responsible local governance.

Kent Boyd, Parkes Shire Council General Manager