By Laura Michell
Live streaming of Whittlesea council meetings has been ruled out until December, 2020, at the earliest.
Whittlesea council began investigating the possibility of streaming council meetings in June, 2017, with Channel 31 invited to record two meetings in mid-2018 so councillors could review the footage.
But in the past year, councillors have backed away from the idea, with the council recently voting to defer considering the issue again until a new council is elected next November.
The new council’s first meeting – and its first opportunity to consider live streaming – will be in December 2020.
Cr Tom Joseph said live streaming was a waste of council resources.
“The evidence is, this is a dud. No one watches councillors debating motions. We are not here to waste money on things that are fashionable,” he said.
Cr Emilia Lisa Sterjova, who first raised the idea of live streaming with council, said she had backed away from the idea amid concerns about the behaviour of some of her colleagues during council meetings.
“There is a lot that needs to change about our culture. I hope the new council will support live streaming,” she said.
The decision comes despite repeated attempts by Cr Caz Monteleone to have live streaming adopted by the council.
