Knox Mayor John Mortimore wants council meetings live streamed

KNOX Council meetings could soon be streamed straight to your phone or computer — if there is enough public demand.

Knox Mayor John Mortimore wants live streaming of council meetings.

KNOX Council meetings could soon be streamed straight to your phone or computer — if there is enough public demand.

Mayor John Mortimore said he wanted the live streaming technology introduced during his mayoral term.

RELATED: City Hall plan to live stream council meetings expected to be expensive

RELATED: Monash Council will pay $20,000 to broadcast its meetings

“I’m quite happy to push for that to happen,” he said after the topic was raised at last week’s council meeting.

“I don’t have any problem with cameras being there, it’s certainly something I support, we’ve just got to get the model right for us.”

Cr Mortimore said he was keen to gauge the views of ratepayers “to see if the demand is there”.

The public can have their say on live streaming via an online survey, as part of a review of local laws meeting procedures.

Cr Mortimore said the cost of the video technology had been a barrier in the past but that should no longer be a problem.

“It’s not rocket science any more. Most teenage kids can set up a live streaming facility,” he said.

While he was in favour of the service, he said there had been “mixed results” from other councils that live stream meetings.

“Sometimes it stimulates intelligent debate, sometimes the opposite,” he said.

“I don’t think it would happen so much here but on some councils they see it as their moment in the sun, they’ve got the cameras on them streaming out to half a dozen members of the community.”

He said the benefits were greater transparency and allowing people to watch from home if they can’t make it to the meetings.

“Most people are smart enough to know council meetings are not exciting events. For most people we’re not going to be high on the list. But I think it’s important for people to have access.”

Cr Peter Lockwood agreed and said it was “important to be open and accountable, even if you only have two people watching”.

Last year, then-mayor Darren Pearce said he was opposed to any recordings of council meetings.

Cr Pearce and all other councillors have been approached for comment on whether they support live streaming.

Ratepayers Victoria Knox branch spokesman Frank Sullivan said the group had spent years trying to get Knox Council to stream its meetings.

“We’ve always been knocked back,” he said.

“But we’d be rapt to have it. They’re elected to represent the ratepayers, why shouldn’t the ratepayers be able to know what they’re doing?”

Cr Lisa Cooper said she did not have a personal preference and would wait until the local laws review to comment.

Public feedback on that review closes 5pm on Thursday, May 3, and specific references to live streaming can be added in the comments of the survey via: surveymonkey.com/r/KnoxCouncilMeetingProcedure