If you wish to invite the Mayor to open an event, welcome guests to our city or present an award, or if you would like to invite a Councillor to attend a function or event, please refer to the following guidelines for their attendance in an official capacity.
Who to invite?
- Council’s principle representative or spokesperson is the Mayor
- When the Mayor is unable to attend, the Deputy Mayor will be Council’s representative
- When both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor are unable to attend, the Mayor will nominate a Councillor
- If you are seeking a Ward representative this will be your Ward Councillor.
Please email your invitation providing as much notice as possible, preferably six weeks in advance.
Email: councilinvite@whittlesea.vic.gov.au
Alternatively, you can post your invitation to:
Office of Council and CEO
Whittlesea City Council
Locked Bag 1
BUNDOORA MDC VIC 3083
Include the following details in your invitation:
- Date of the event
- Start and finish time
- Purpose of the event
- Recommended Mayor or Councillor arrival and departure times
- Dress code
- If parking near the event is restricted, suggest nearest alternative parking
- If the event is ticketed and you have requested a Council representative to provide a speech, please include a complimentary pass with their invitation
- Indicate if you would like to invite the Mayor or Councillor’s partner and if so, please advise of the cost of the event, if applicable.
When inviting the Mayor or a Councillor to your event, please ensure your invitation notes that a speech will be required. You will be contacted by a Council Officer approximately two weeks before the event where the following information will be required:
- Speech topic
- Speech start time
- Allocated speech time
- Agenda / proceedings
- Purpose of event
- Contact details for the appropriate person for more information about your event.
Please note the traditional owners of lands within the City of Whittlesea will be officially acknowledged in every speech.
Make sure your organisation’s representatives greets the Mayor or Councillors on arrival and escorts them to their seat. Introduce the Mayor and Councillors to other dignitaries and organisation leaders and brief them about the Order of Proceedings.
Order of introduction
- Federal Members of Parliament (if in attendance)
- State Members of Parliament (if in attendance)
- Mayor
- Deputy Mayor
- Councillor/s
Formal terms of address
- Mayor: Initially, refer to them as "The Mayor/Deputy Mayor of the City of Whittlesea, Cr [Name]" or "Councillor [Name]". After the formal introduction, you may address them as "Cr [Name]" or "Mr/Madam Mayor".
- Councillor deputising for the Mayor: "Councillor [Name]", deputising for the Mayor in his/her absence.
After formal introductions, forms of address are at the Mayor's or Councillor's discretion. Please ask them how they would like to be addressed.
Availability
Please note that the Mayor and Councillor diaries change frequently and unfortunately, whilst the best efforts will be maintained to facilitate attendance, there is no guarantee of availability.