Freedom of Information

The City of Stonnington is constituted under the Local Government Act 2020 (Vic) (LGA 2020) to provide leadership for the good governance of the municipal district and the local community. There are several overarching principles of the LGA 2020.

• Council decisions are to be made and actions taken in accordance with the relevant law.
• Priority is to be given to achieving the best outcomes for the municipal community, including future generations.
• The economic, social and environmental sustainability of the municipal district, including mitigation and planning for climate change risks, is to be promoted.
• The municipal community is to be engaged in strategic planning and strategic decision-making.
• Innovation and continuous improvement is to be pursued.
• Collaboration with other Councils, Governments and statutory bodies is to be sought.
• The ongoing financial viability of the Council is to be ensured.
• Regional, state and national plans and policies are to be taken into account in strategic planning and decision-making.
• The transparency of Council decisions, actions and information is to be ensured.

Formal decision-making processes are conducted through Council meetings and special committees of Council. Decision-making is also delegated to Council staff. These delegations are exercised in accordance with the relevant legislation and adopted policies.

Under the FOI Act, individuals have a right to seek access to documents held by Council.

Please note that certain documents may be accessed without lodging a formal FOI request.

• Complete the FOI request form to seek access to your personal parking or infringement records.
• View the Part Two Statements on this page for details about other Council-held documents and seeking access to them.
• If the documents you would like to access to are not described in the Part Two Statement, please lodge an FOI request.

Note that Council may refuse to give you access to documents if they are exempt documents. Exempt documents include those that contain:

• confidential information, as defined under section 125 in the LGA 2020
• legally privileged information
• commercially sensitive information
• information about a third party’s personal affairs
• information provided by a third party in confidence to Council.

The City of Stonnington media centre is available for:

• community news and media releases
• Stonnington News, which is a free publication that features information about the latest Council news, events and issues affecting the local community
• newsletter sign up
• submitting media enquiries
• links to our social media accounts including:
  • City of Stonnington
  • What’s On Stonnington
  • Chapel Off Chapel
  • Stonnington Library and Information Service
  • Stonnington Youth Services
  • Active Stonnington
  • Harold Holt Swim Centre
  • Prahran Aquatic Centre
  • Prahran Square.

You can find out about the history of the City of Stonnington, our population profiles and forecasts under about Stonnington.

You can find information about the mayor and ward councillors, the organisational structure, council meetings, elections and citizenship ceremonies under about Council.

You may view our current and completed major infrastructure, building, parks and roadwork projects plus State Government works that are happening in the city under major infrastructure works and projects.

A description of how Council advertises for goods, works and services is available under tenders.

The causes, plans and ideas that we publicly support are listed on our advocacy page.

The information about annual reports, guides and resources produced by Council that are freely available are part of our FOI Part Two.

Council meeting agendas and minutes

Ordinary meetings of Council are generally held on the first and third Mondays of the month, excluding January. Meeting dates can change due to the timing of public holidays or the number of weeks in a month.

Interested members of the public can attend Council meetings in person or view a live stream over the internet.

Recordings are usually available on our website within 48 hours after the meeting.

Find out more on Council meeting agendas and minutes.

Governance and management documents

These documents are available on request.

• Community Engagement Policy is a policy that outlines Council’s commitment to engaging with the community on matters of public interest.
• Community Engagement Guidelines are guidelines that assist staff in determining when and how to engage with the community.
• Financial Plan is a plan created under section 91 of the LGA 2020 that outlines the financial and non-financial resources required for the next 10 financial years.
• Asset Plan is a plan that sets out the asset maintenance and renewal needs for key infrastructure asset classes.
• Revenue and Rating Plan is a plan that sets out the rating structure of Council to levy rates and charges.
• Annual Budget is a plan that sets out the services to be provided and initiatives to be undertaken over the next 12 months.
• Risk Policy is a policy that outlines Council’s commitment and approach to minimising any risks to Council’s operations.
• Fraud Policy is a policy that outlines Council’s commitment and approach to minimising the risk of fraud.
• Municipal Emergency Management Plan is a plan created under section 20 of the Emergency Management Act 1986 for emergency prevention, response and recovery.
• Procurement Policy is a policy created under section 108 of the LGA 2020 that outlines the matters, practices and procedures that will apply to all purchases of goods, services and works.
• Business Continuity Plan is a Plan that sets out the actions that will be undertaken to ensure that key services continue to operate in the event of a disaster.
• Disaster Recovery Plan is a plan that sets out the actions that will be undertaken to recover and restore business capability in the event of a disaster.
• Risk Management Framework is a framework that outlines Council’s approach to managing risks to Council’s operations.
• Charter of the Audit and Risk Committee is a document that outlines how the Audit and Risk Committee discharges its responsibilities.
• Performance Reporting Framework is a framework that includes a set of indicators measuring financial and non-financial performance, including the performance indicators referred to in section 131 of the LGA 2020.
• Council Plan Report is a report that reviews the performance of Council against the Council Plan, including the results in relation to the strategic indicators for the first six months of the financial year.
• Financial Reports are quarterly statements to Council made under section 138 of the LGA 2020 that compare the budgeted revenue and expenditure with actual revenue and expenditure.
• Risk Reports are reports that contain strategic risks to Council’s operations and risk minimisation strategies;
• Performance Reports are reports produced biannually that include indicators measuring the results against financial and non-financial performance indicators.
• Annual Report is a report that monitors Council’s performance against objectives in the Council Plan and Budget;
• Councillor Code of Conduct is a Code that sets out the conduct principles and the dispute resolution processes to be followed by councillors.
• Delegations Register is a document that sets out the powers, duties and functions of Council and the CEO that have been delegated to members of staff.
• Governance Rules is a document that outlines the governance and conduct of Council meetings and special committees.

Further documents available for public inspection

During the year 2021/22, and in accordance with regulation 12 of the Local Government (General) Regulations 2015, the prescribed documents are available for public inspection.

• A document containing details of overseas or interstate travel (with exceptions) undertaken in an official capacity by any Councillor or any member of Council staff in the previous 12 months, including the names of the Councillors, or members of Council staff and the dates on which the travel began and ended, destination, purpose and total cost of the overseas or interstate travel, including accommodation costs.
• Agendas for, and minutes, of ordinary and special Council meetings held over the previous 12 months other than those agendas and minutes relating to parts of meetings closed to members of the public under section 66 of the LGA 2020 relating to confidential information within the meaning of section 3 of the LGA 2020.
• A register of delegations kept under sections 11 and 47 of the LGA 2020.
• A document containing details of all leases involving land that were entered into by Council as lessor, including the lessee and the terms and the value of the lease.
• A register of authorised officers appointed under the LGA 2020.
• A list of donations and grants made by Council during the previous 12 months, including the names of people who, or bodies that, have received a donation or grant and the amount of each donation or grant.

Council has a suite of policies that form part of the City of Stonnington’s decision-making framework. The policies provide guidance on a range of issues and includes Council’s Public Transparency Policy.

Find out more about our policies.