Councillor Holly Ewin calls for virtual attendance at council meetings describing current rules as ‘archaic’

A Hobart councillor has been forced to cut her mardi gras trip short because of what she describes as an “archaic rule”.

Hobart Councillor Holly Ewin. Photographs: Eddie Safarik.

A HOBART councillor has been forced to cut short her trip to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras because of what she describes as an “archaic” council rule.

Cr Holly Ewin was at the mardi gras at the weekend, a trip she booked a month ago.

She was meant to fly back to Hobart tomorrow, but had to return a day early to ensure she could attend tonight’s council meeting when a debate is scheduled on a single-use plastics bylaw — an issue close to Cr Ewin’s heart.

“You have to physically be there and that surprised me (when I joined council), particularly because we have the technology available,” she said.

Hobart City Councillor Holly Ewin. Picture: SUPPLIED

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In a Facebook post, Cr Ewin said: “I’m going to talk to staff to begin a conversation about video-linking or phone conferencing as an option.

“I don’t know if this is possible at all, but I mean really, it’s 2019 — and I think it just sucks that if someone’s away because they, you know, have a life outside of the chamber, they automatically forfeit their vote.”

To change the rules surrounding councillors and aldermen being physically present at meetings a change of the Local Goverment Act is required. Under the Act, it is implied rather than explicit in that the Meeting Regulations state (s12) that a meeting is to be abandoned if a quorum is not “present”.

Section 32 also requires recording in the minutes of the attendance of councillors, and any absence of any councillor during the meeting, including the times of leaving and returning to the meeting. Cr Ewin said with so many contentious decisions at council being decided by the slimmest of margins, the rules needed to be changed.

“There’s a vote coming up on single-use plastics and I didn’t want to miss out on it,” she said.

“I’m aware if it’s going to get through it will be by a slim margin and I didn’t want to risk it.”

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In 2015, the Local Government of Tasmania debated virtual attendance at council meetings with the majority of councils deciding this should not be allowed until specific issues were addressed including: defining the circumstances that would justify the use of virtual attendance and the period of notice required.

Ms Ewin says she has made a submission to the Local Government Act review to allow councillors to attend meetings by phone or video link.

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