The Office of Local Government recently released the Model Social Media Policy and the Model Councillor and Staff Interaction Policy in New South Wales.
These two policies are intended to represent best practice on governance in these areas. The model policies are not mandatory and councils are free to choose whether to use them or to adapt them for their own purposes.
If the Model Social Media Policy and/or the Model Councillor and Staff Interaction Policy are adopted by a council, a breach of the policy would be considered a breach of the council’s code of conduct. This is because Clause 3.1(b) of the Model Code of Conduct for Local Councils provides that council officials must not conduct themselves in a manner that is contrary to a council’s policies. [...]