Council Orders Confidential Business Review

Wyndham councillors have backed a review into how confidential business is released, amid concerns the current system relies on councillors revisiting matters one by one.

A Notice of Motion passed at the 24 March 2026 council meeting highlights a gap between a 2025 commitment to improve transparency and how the process is working in practice.

In March 2025, councillors unanimously agreed to release in-camera decisions once the need for confidentiality had passed. But under the current setup, each item still requires a fresh council resolution before it can be made public.

That means previously confidential decisions are only released if they are brought back before councillors, rather than being reviewed through a set process.

The motion, brought forward by Cr Jasmine Hill, does not seek to change the legal requirement for council to approve the release of confidential information. Instead, it questions whether the existing approach is too ad hoc, and whether clearer systems could improve consistency.

It asks the CEO to prepare a report outlining how the current process operates, including how in-camera items are identified for possible release, and whether there are any criteria, triggers or timeframes guiding those decisions.

The report will also look at options for a more proactive and structured approach, such as clearer review cycles or indicative timeframes for when confidentiality should lapse.

The motion reinforces the position that confidentiality should be temporary, tied to risk, rather than continuing by default simply because a matter has not been revisited.

It also raises the issue of clarity for both councillors and the community around when decisions can move from behind closed doors into the public domain.

Councillors are expected to consider the findings at a future meeting.