Councillors Kat Bennett and Tim Quilty will again urge Wodonga council to film its meetings but have steered away from live streaming.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In a notice of motion before council at its monthly meeting on Monday, November 20, Crs Bennett and Quilty will call for council meetings be video recorded, and then available on council website.
Albury, Alpine, Indigo and Wangaratta councils all webcast their meeting however, Wodonga councillors at their March meeting voted 5-2 to maintain the status quo and not introduce live streaming of their meetings, citing legal fears.
Only Crs Quilty and Bennett voted for the introduction.
At the time Councillor Ron Mildren cited the legal opinion of a Perth firm – McLeods Barristers and Solicitors – which argued against it, and flagged the likelihood of insurance premiums rising because of the risks of webcasting.
But Cr Quilty said in March the risks of live streaming had been overstated.
“There are dozens, or perhaps hundreds, of councils around Australia that have already moved to live streaming and it’s working fine,” Cr Quilty said.
“I haven’t heard of anyone being sued, so I think it’s quite exaggerated.”
The new motion called for the introduction of audio-video record withing four months. It was Wodonga council standard protocol for councillors not to comment on the agenda ahead of meetings.
“The community has a right to expect transparency at all levels of government,” the motion’s supporting paper said.
“The key rationale for this motion is to enhance the transparency around council debate, deliberation and decision making at council meetings.
“Online recording of council meetings provide greater accessibility for community members.
“Having council meetings publicly available in an online format enables community members to access a complete record of council meetings.”
Wodonga’s special joint meeting in October held at The Cube Wodonga was streamed live by Albury council and The Border Mail.
At the meeting Wodonga and Albury councils unveiled their Two Cities, One Community - Stronger Together report.
They believed plans to re-locate Wodonga’s council chamber to the ground floor of the council offices provided a timely opening to introduce video recording of meetings.
The motion also called on chief Executive Patience Harrington to develop a policy for online recording of council meetings for consideration by council in January.