East Gippsland Shire Council, Victoria, began live streaming its council meetings in February using the first meeting of the year to trial the new technology.
Mayor Joe Rettino said an upgrade of the audio-visual equipment in the Council Chamber meant more residents could now take part in civic life.
“Our shire is very large with distances that can make attending council meetings difficult. Now, our residents, ratepayers and people with an interest in our shire will be able to watch council meetings where and when it suits them.
“For the trial, we enlisted the help of a number of residents from across the shire, in particular those who had requested live streaming in the past, so we could get a user perspective of how the technology worked.
“Everything worked well, except for a slight hiccup with one microphone. Thanks to the instant feedback from the residents watching at home, we became aware of the issue and remedied it during the meeting.
“For the past couple of years council has made council meeting audio available to the public after the meetings. Live streaming builds on this beginning and I am sure it will a valuable tool in broadening community involvement in council meetings,” the mayor said.
The Victorian Ombudsman’s recent report on local government transparency listed live streaming of council meetings as one measure that contributes towards a council being transparent with its community.
