By Laura Michell
Whittlesea council has pulled the plug on plans to live stream its meetings.
The council invited Channel 31 to record two council meetings earlier this year so councillors could review the footage before making a decision on whether to broadcast meetings.
The proposal to live stream meetings was first suggested by Cr Emilia Lisa Sterjova in June last year. But at last month’s meeting, councillors voted against broadcasting or recording meetings amid concerns about defamation.
That was despite a report from council officers that recommended a trial of live streaming throughout 2019, with meetings broadcast live to the council’s website. Under that plan, the meetings would not have been stored for residents to view at a later date.
Cr Caz Monteleone pushed for recordings to be stored on the council’s website for 12 months, but failed to gain the support of a majority of councillors.
He said live streaming meetings would help hold councillors to account and improve behaviour.
