Council
24 March, 2026
Questions raised
THE Horsham Rural City Council is currently investigating reports that it has increased its In-Confidence decision-making in the past year.
The council made 30 per cent of its decisions in closed meetings in 2024-2025, according to data recorded by the Victorian Government's Know Your Council Dashboard.
This was up slightly from 24 per cent the previous year; however, it was still less than the 2022-2023 council year, which was 35 per cent.
When submitting the data to the report, the council said during the 2023-23 period, it was advised by the Municipal Monitor Stephen Kingshott to hold a number of meetings in confidence.
More recently, several “commercial in confidence” matters required closed meetings.
A spokesperson for HRCC said the council was currently investigating the data, and a report would be made available for publication as soon as it was completed.
The Local Government Act 2020 sets out the matters that may be discussed in closed meetings, and the recently reduced numbers provide greater transparency for the public.
HRCC has listed matters to be heard in confidence on its agendas, such as tenders and contract negotiations.
The council meetings are open to the public and are free to view online.
The West Wimmera Shire Council was also reported to be making an increased number of decisions in secret, higher than HRCC, at 39.4 per cent, up from 32.9 per cent a year earlier.
The Yarriambiack Shire Council decreased its secret decision-making (20.4 per cent) during the most recent period, as did Hindmarsh Shire Council 14.3 per cent.
The Know Your Council Dashboards is a Victorian Government tool that allows you to compare the performance, financial data, and service delivery of all 79 local councils in Victoria.
It provides insights into areas such as waste management, roads, and governance, offering both individual council profiles and comparative ones.