By Raquel Mustillo
LIMESTONE Coast councils have discussed hundreds of items behind closed doors in the last financial year, with figures revealing staff and elected members met in private 210 times during 2019/20.
An investigation by The Border Watch has shown the region’s seven councils have collectively invoked confidentiality provisions more times in the 2019/20 period than in the previous five years.
State legislation allows councils to have secret debates for commercially sensitive reasons – which on balance would be contrary to the public interest – tenders, litigation and legal advice and to discuss issues involving the unreasonable disclosure of information concerning an individual’s personal affairs.