Extraordinary Council Meeting Summary - 22 March 2023

Published on 27 March 2023

Council held an extraordinary Council meeting on 22 March 2023. The following is a summary of the outcomes from the meeting:

City of Ryde international delegation visit to Taiwan and international relations policy

A Mayoral Minute referred to the decision made during the 28 February 2023 Council meeting to participate in an international delegation visit to Taiwan to attend the Smart City Summit & Expo from 27-31 March 2023 and to adopt an International Relations Policy.

The Mayor noted that in the interests of transparency he had referred the matter to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The ICAC was provided with copies of the relevant Council resolution, the Mayoral Minute dealing with this matter and the Council report, which outlined the economic benefits to City of Ryde from attending the summit.

Further, Council noted that the International Relations Policy had been discussed with the relevant officers from the Office of Local Governance (OLG), who advised that such policies were internal matters for councils to consider and there was no requirement for consultation with the OLG. Council voted in favour of a recommendation that the Mayor and Council will await a further ICAC response on the matter and noted the advice received from the OLG.

To view the minutes of the Council meeting, click here.