PRESSURE is growing for Albury and Wodonga council meetings to be live streamed.
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Alpine and Wangaratta already broadcast their forums over the internet and Indigo councillor Emmerick Teissl will put a motion to follow suit at his shire’s meeting on Tuesday night.
“It will give a much fairer account of debate in the council,” Cr Teissl said.
“You might read something and it might be a 4-3 split and it’s recorded as that, but it doesn’t record the debate.”
Cr Teissl added those out of Beechworth, who can’t attend meetings, would be aided by live online coverage.
“We’re spread out, so it does increase public and community engagement and goes to transparency about who said what,” he said.
“It’s easy to say ‘I didn’t say that’ when the meeting is not recorded.”
A push for Albury and Wodonga councils to stream is likely to come after elections over the next two months.
Albury Greens candidate Amanda Cohn said streaming was a key part of her platform and it would aid civic engagement and make meetings more accessible.
Albury councillor Darren Cameron said he would support a motion to embrace streaming if re-elected.
“I’m very supportive of having live streaming and, unless we’re legally obliged to have meetings closed, I believe we should have them all open,” Cr Cameron said.
Albury Citizens and Ratepayers Movement election candidate Emily Lightfoot also backed the concept.
“As long as it was low cost, that there wasn’t any big expenditure on equipment in starting it up, I don’t think the Ratepayers Movement would be opposed to it,” she said.
“That’s because we’re for transparency and you can’t be more transparent than live streaming.”
Wodonga candidate Kat Bennett noted her city council had ruled out the idea on cost grounds in 2010.
“Technology has come a long way in that time and is very cost effective now,” she said noting council streamed its Red Carpet Youth Awards.
“My main platform is wanting increased community involvement in council and I think this will do that.”
Fellow under-30 candidate Adam Koster joined Ms Bennett in saying he would push for streaming if elected.
“I think it’s a good idea for not only accountability and transparency, but accessibility as well,” he said. “I know it is difficult to find time to get to these meetings so anything that makes it easier and more open is a good idea.”