Council makes plans to go live

Live streaming of Brimbank council meetings could soon become a reality, with the council to receive a report next month on the possibility of video streaming or podcasting meetings.

Councillor Lucinda Congreve moved a motion at last week’s meeting that the council explore the options available for live streaming, and the motion was unanimously supported.

“I know we’ve been talking about this for a long time, but it’s time we made this a reality,” Cr Congreve said at the meeting.

“Currently we have between three and 20 people in the gallery at any one meeting, and with meetings starting at 7pm and going as late as 11pm, that is a huge commitment to get out on a Tuesday evening.

“There are members of our community with family commitments and work commitments, and we have a responsibility to bring our meetings into their homes and give them access to community decisions.

“It’s about transparency, it’s about accessibility, it’s about community inclusion and it’s about accountability. We were elected as councillors to represent our community, and the community have a right to be able to see what’s going on in the chamber.”

A report will be prepared for the next meeting on May 15, outlining the options and costs involved.