Council & Business
2 December, 2025
Rules cause planning policy to crumble
A “critical governance gap” has been left open after a planning decision-making policy wasn't seconded.
Confusion around Central Goldfields Shire Council’s governance rules contributed to a motion intended to improve them falling flat.
A “critical governance gap” has been left open after a planning decision-making policy didn’t make it past first mention at the November council meeting.
Council officer’s recommended council adopt the Statutory Planning Delegation Policy, which formalised council’s planning decision-making process.
At present, council’s Statutory Planning team works within an operation procedure, developed in 2018 and never updated, which is not guided by a clear policy position adopted by council.
The purpose of the proposed policy was to balance the need for efficient decision-making with councillor oversight on key issues.
The policy aimed to provide a clear framework for planning decisions, reducing delays and improving transparency, which the shire currently lacks.
However, the policy never made it to a vote when no-one seconded councillor Grace La Vella’s motion.
That means the policy was not adopted and gave no clear direction to council officers on what to do next.
While councillor Gerard Murphy put forward an alternative motion to defer the policy until the February meeting, which would have resolved the confusion, he was blocked by another hole in the governance rules.
Central Goldfields Shire CEO Peter Harriott said council lacked a foreshadowed motion provision.
This provision allows councillors to preface a motion by saying if it loses the vote they’ll put forward an alternative motion.
“It is critical that we stay within the governance rules whether they are right, wrong, bad, or good,” Mr Harriott said.
While Cr Murphy’s alternative motion wasn’t formally completed, in practice it largely was, when Mr Harriott said the “critical” recommendation would be brought back to council in the same form “to see how that goes”.
The recommendation follows sector-wide scrutiny of the planning decision-making process.
The Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission’s (IBAC) Operation Sandon found systemic vulnerabilities across Victoria’s planning system.
The report found planning decisions could be compromised by political donations, lobbying, and personal relationships, undermining public confidence and the integrity of local government processes.
The report made 34 recommendations which broadly aimed to reduce the risk of undue influence and improve decision-making integrity.
The officer’s report also said the policy offered flexibility and compliance with legislative changes.
It comes ahead of the Planning Amendment (Better Decisions Made Faster) Bill 2025, which is designed to streamline decision-making and reduce delays in housing delivery, is debated in Victorian Parliament.
The Statutory Planning Delegation Policy is part of a broader look at Central Goldfields Shire Council’s governance rules.
Mr Harriott told The Maryborough District Advertiser in September new governance rules, which he said will be up-to-standard and best practice, will be considered by council in the next six months.