“I’m delighted that residents will now finally be able to watch or review all our meetings.”
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A new Model Code of Meeting Practice which requires NSW councils to webcast their meetings, starting in the next 12 months has been welcomed by Wingecarribee Shire councillor Ian Scandrett.
Cr Scandrett, who has been a strong advocate of live webcasting of council meetings over the past few years, said he was “delighted” with the recent announcement
“It’s a communication essential that has finally come of age. [It helps] people across the shire who want to see or review items on the business paper and can’t attend because of our meeting time, their personal commitments or geographical constraints,” he said.
Cr Scandrett said he believed quick links to individual items on the agenda would be an essential part of the process.
Under the new Model Code of Meeting Practice, councils must include “supplementary provisions” in their adopted codes of meeting practices to specify whether their meetings would be live streamed or recordings uploaded later.
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These provisions must also specify whether the webcast would be an “audio visual recording or an audio recording of the meeting”.
However Local Government NSW president Cr Linda Scott raised concerns that there were more pressing concerns for the councils to deal with other than webcasting.
“This is another expense that leaves councils no choice other than to raise rates or divert funds from existing programs to make webcasting happen,” she said.
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