Tenterfield Shire Council is defending its decision to keep parts of its Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee minutes confidential, after questions from the community about why the matters were dealt with behind closed doors.
At the Ordinary Council Meeting on Wednesday, 22 July, Council considered two items relating to the minutes of the Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee (ARIC) within the confidential business section of the agenda. The items were adopted through resolutions 186/26 and 187/26.
Council said it acknowledged that members of the community were seeking a better understanding of why the ARIC matters were considered in confidential business.
ARIC acts as an independent advisory body, providing oversight and guidance to Council on financial management, risk management, internal controls and legislative compliance. Council said the information and documents provided to the committee may contain confidential material, meaning meeting minutes relating to those items may also contain sensitive information not suitable for public release.
Council pointed to a changing operating environment for NSW public sector entities, including growing exposure to sophisticated cyber threats.
“Like many organisations, Council also faces increasing exposure to sophisticated cyber threats, including AI-driven phishing attacks and payment scams that can appear legitimate, while exploiting everyday business processes,” Council stated.
In making its decision, Council said it considered advice from ARIC and the Risk Management and Internal Audit for Local Government in NSW Guidelines 2023.
The guidelines state that confidentiality “is at the discretion of the Council to decide whether audit, risk and improvement committee agendas, business papers, minutes and other reports are made publicly available.”
“Given its potential sensitivity, it is recommended that all information pertaining to the audit, risk and improvement committee and internal audit activities is treated as confidential unless otherwise determined by the committee or a resolution of the Council,” the guidelines state.
Council said its decision to treat ARIC matters and meeting minutes as confidential reflected this guidance, along with its responsibility to protect sensitive governance, risk management and security information.
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