Concerns raised over Wollongong Council’s behind closed doors ‘workshops’

Following efforts to end controversial behind-closed-doors meetings of NSW councils, to build trust and increase transparency, questions are being asked about Wollongong City Council’s new policy of holding councillor “workshops”, which the council claims meet strict new rules introduced on 1 January 2026.

One councillor, however, says he feels “uneasy“ having “to withhold information from the community, particularly when there is clear public interest”.

Independent Cr Andrew Anthony was speaking after council’s first off-the-record “workshop” held early this month, to discuss one of the most controversial housing projects in Wollongong in many years.

For well over a decade, Wollongong Council met regularly in private, to discuss issues ahead of their regular council meetings. These private meetings, held out of public view and with no minutes recorded, were described as “briefings”.

Led by the Local Government Minister, Ron Hoenig, a new mandatory “Model Meeting Code of Practice" was adopted late last year to prevent the practice of those private briefings continuing.

“While well-intentioned as a means of educating councillors on matters before council, these sessions have had a corrosive effect on the transparency of council decision making,” the minister said. "Communities are entitled to know the deliberations of their councillors and the nature of the advice given to assist them in making responsible decisions.”

In its submission on the proposed changes, Wollongong Council asked that the closed briefings be allowed to continue, in part because they allowed councillors to ask “silly questions” in a “safe environment” without fear of embarrassment.

The Office of Local Government said “pre-meeting briefings are inconsistent with the principles of transparency, accountability, and public participation, and have the potential to undermine confidence in the proper and lawful decision-making processes of the council”.

Objections from Neighbourhood Forums

Two neighbourhood forums, established to advise council on issues of importance to the community, also strongly opposed the practice of confidential briefings during the consultation process.

Neighbourhood Forum 1 convenor Warwick Erwin was a long-time critic of private briefings. “If there’s no minutes, there’s no information – it’s a secret meeting. Where is our transparency from council?”

John Riggall, from Neighbourhood Forum 5, expressed his concern that “closed briefings of councillors are anti-democratic, non-transparent and could obscure considerations of business being handled by council”.

John used as an example 31 confidential briefings of the current council held between 24 October 2024 and December 2025 in which 127 issues were discussed out of public view. He said this often resulted in little or no meaningful discussion taking place when council did hold its open public meetings.

“On 15 December, the last meeting for 2025, of the 27 reports on the council agenda, 63 per cent were adopted as a block, with no discussions,” John said.

KRAG raises concerns

At the February meeting of Neighbourhood Forum 5, this issue was raised from the floor when Felix Bronneberg, a senior member of the Keiraville Residents Action Group (KRAG), said he was aware of a confidential meeting of council being held immediately after the most recent council meeting on 2 February. He asked if this breached the new rules that had just been put in place.

The NF5 meeting was told councillors discussed the controversial large Homes NSW residential infill project near UOW at Gwynneville. As reported in The Illawarra Flame recently, locals have expressed serious concerns that they’re being locked out of important decision-making and KRAG has asked council and the state government that they be more engaged in the planning process.

At the NF5 meeting, KRAG members said they now felt even further out of the loop after councillors met behind closed doors to discuss the biggest issue on the agenda in their neighbourhood in decades, with no transparency about what was being discussed, what questions were being asked, and what views individual councillors had expressed. In effect, there is no record of anything that was discussed, and even under the new rules there is no requirement for that to happen.

'I felt uneasy withholding information'

Independent Ward 2 Councillor Andrew Anthony, who attended that NF5 meeting, said he felt uncomfortable not being able to share any information on what councillors had discussed.

“When I attended the recent Neighbourhood Forum 5 meeting, the Gwynneville Planning Proposal was raised and I was asked about the closed workshop,” Cr Anthony said.

“I had to explain to residents that I was unable to discuss what had been covered as it had been discussed in a private workshop.

“As a councillor who campaigned on openness and transparency at Wollongong City Council, this does not sit well with me. I feel uneasy being obligated to withhold information from the community, particularly when there is clear public interest.”

Former independent councillor, Vicki Curran, who also attended the NF5 meeting, described Council’s decision to change the title of the “briefings” to “workshops” as nothing more than a “rebranding exercise”.

In 2015, when a member of Wollongong Council, Vicki Curran tried, unsuccessfully, to have the closed councillor briefing sessions scrapped. She felt they were undemocratic and unnecessarily secretive.

In her notice of motion to Council 11 years ago, she said “councillor briefing sessions have been a de facto, closed and non-recorded decision-making forum on matters coming to council meetings. Councillor briefing sessions do not provide procedural fairness, transparency, accountability and good governance that we are expected to deliver”.

The Illawarra Flame understands KRAG has written to council’s General Manager and the Minister for Local Government expressing its concern that confidential councillor discussions are still taking place, out of public view, on issues that will ultimately be decided at a council meeting, and possibly within just a matter of weeks.

Under the new rules, Council is still able to hold private briefings, but not on any business listed on the agenda for upcoming meetings of the council or committees of council.

Council says it is meeting its obligations

A council spokesperson has denied any wrongdoing, saying the organisation was committed to meeting the requirements of the new Code of Practice.

“Since its introduction we have responded to advice on the changes with the Office of Local Government, and have sought advice on the changes when needed, to ensure we’re meeting the requirements of the new model.

“In line with the requirements, council does not hold briefing sessions, workshops, or discussion forums for councillors listed on the agenda for meetings of the council or committees of the council.

“We may, as permitted by the requirements, hold workshops, strategic and discussion forums, induction sessions and professional development activities for councillors that are not public facing.

“These sessions are not decision-making forums. Their purpose would be to support strategic planning, policy development, councillor education or general information sharing. These actions are in accordance with the mandatory provisions of the Model Code of Meeting Practice.”

The spokesperson confirmed that at the first workshop since the new Code of Practice was put in place at the start of the year, the controversial Gwynneville housing plan was on the agenda and was discussed within the provisions of the new code.

The spokesperson said councillors were briefed on feedback received about the Gwynneville Gateway Planning Proposal.

“At this workshop, views and input from councillors was sought, on the matters raised in the NSW Government’s public exhibition process. These discussions will inform a future report to council. At this time no report has been prepared for council’s consideration.”

Council’s website has information available about the new “workshops”. That information is available here.