There are many agenda items of interest for Tuesday night’s meeting. This post will focus only on Paul Burke’s lamentable effort to maintain the status quo and not have audio recordings and/or webcasts of formal council meetings available to the public. The arguments trotted out are entirely predictable and far from convincing.
First off, readers are hit with the suggested cost – $44,000+. Next there is the ‘legal risk’ with statements such as this – Although the likelihood of a defamation action being brought against the Council, individual Councillors or council staff for comments made at a meeting may appear remote, the broadcasting/podcasting of Council Meetings increases the risk due to the larger audience created by the broadcast/podcast of the meeting.
Burke then goes on with this incredible statement – The increased risk is created due to the much wider audience created by the broadcasting/podcasting. Obviously if comments are made at a meeting with no public gallery and the meeting is not broadcast and the comments made receive no publicity it is unlikely that any action would be brought, but this could be different if the meeting is then podcast.
So, are we to assume that it is ‘permissable’ for councillors or administrators to ‘defame’ others when no-one is present in the public gallery, but unacceptable when visitors are present to witness or hear the potential defamation?
What then follows are some attempted distractors such as ‘file size’ and whether people will be able to find the ‘specific items’ that interest them in the recording. Below we feature how simple the solution is and how it does not present any problems whatsoever for Manningham. They simply splice the recordings into the specific agenda items. It shouldn’t take Einstein to figure this out.
Then comes the typical Glen Eira administration tactic of only presenting ‘selective’ rather than full and comprehensive information. Burke lists several councils and their policies and current practice. Not only is this list incomplete – but it is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! For example Burke states that Frankston council only provides audio recording for ‘internal use’. Nothing could be further from the truth. Here’s what the Frankston website has got to say on the issue –
Members of the public can request an audio recording of a Council Meeting on CD. This new initiative is to increase the accessibility of Council meetings for those unable to attend in person.
Recordings of Council meetings are available for meetings occurring on or after 6th April 2010. Recordings of Council meetings will be retained for three months only.
On completion of the required details in the form below, a CD will be mailed to the person at the nominated address. Please allow up to 10 working days for the CD to arrive.
Please note that the audio recordings do not constitute an official record of the meeting. The official record of a Council meeting is the Council meeting minutes, which can be accessed on Council’s website or upon request to Council’s Governance unit. (http://www.frankston.vic.gov.au/Your_Council/Council_and_Committee_Meetings/Meetings/Council_Meetings_Available_On_CD)
Burke of course does not reveal that there are numerous other councils that broadcast their council meetings. These include:
Melbourne City Council
Hobson’s Bay – Audio recordings of Ordinary and Special Council meetings will be made available for download on the internet via the Council’s website not later than the day following the meeting and will be retained and made publicly available for 12 months following the meeting date. Members of the public may purchase copies of recordings for a fee of $1.00.
Mornington Peninsula – http://www.mornpen.vic.gov.au/Our_Shire/Our_Council/Minutes_Agendas/Council_Meeting_Audio_Recordings
Ballarat – moving towards this with a resolution passed on September 25th 2013 – http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/1882408/25_september_public_minutes.pdf
There are probably many others that we have not bothered to chase down. Once again the failure of officers to provide accurate and comprehensive information for councillors is unforgiveable. No specific recommendations are part of the item – so it is once again over to councillors to make a stand and to earn their keep. Will transparency win out over secrecy? Will the rhetoric of increasing public interest and participation stand up or will councillors merely ‘note’ the report and consign this to the dustbin of history for another 3 or 4 years? Will Burke be told to rewrite and this time ensure that he earns his $200,000+ pa salary by providing accurate information or will it be passed off as another ‘clerical error?
Allowing residents to actually hear the continual shenanigans, the appalling level of debate, the inconsistencies, and the repeated failures of good governance is not something that this council and its administrators want to publicise. Transparency and accountability are anathema. That’s why we will continue to provide what we regard as a vital public service in reporting on each council meeting.
PS: HERE ARE A FEW MORE COUNCILS THAT DON’T HAVE THE ‘PRIVACY’ AND ‘RISK’ ISSUES THAT GLEN EIRA ALWAYS SEEMS TO HAVE. THEY HAVE INSTITUTED AUDIO AND LIVE BROADCASTS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNCIL MEETINGS WITHOUT TOO MUCH TROUBLE IT WOULD APPEAR!
Greater Bendigo – Council meetings are broadcast live on Phoenix FM 106.7Mhz. http://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/About_us/The_Council/Council_meeting_agendas_and_minutes
Moyne Shire Council – http://www.moyne.vic.gov.au/Page/page.asp?Page_Id=2562&h=0
Wellington Shire Council – http://www.wellington.vic.gov.au/Your-Council/Council-Meetings/Live-Council-Meetings
Glen Eira Debates 
November 22, 2013 at 6:11 PM
A bunch of p*ss poor arguments all designed to hide the fact that they don’t want residents to become aware of just how substandard their so called discussions are and how pathetic Councillor oversight of the administration is.
Just take the cost of $42,000 a trifling amount in Council’s over $70m budget. Yet we have $17,000 spent on canvassing residents for the 3rd time in 5 years their opinion on the cafe in the conservatory in Caulfield Park. We also have a very conservative $24,000 wasted in less than one day, because after 18 months and much publicity, they were ill prepared in the illegal boarding house case against Penhalluriack.
Then you look at some recent big stuff – millions spent on plinths in parks, why, well it’s because some years ago (precise date unspecified) a car zipped off the road into a park (an unspecified park). And the GESAC car park extensions – the last of which was supported by less than a half page of verbage, a not to scale sketch and zero notice to residents – over $600K, lost parkland and trees.
If this Council really acted in a way that supports it’s “öpen, transparent accountable” claims this would have been available years ago.
November 22, 2013 at 6:55 PM
There’s an inherent inconsistency in Burke’s argument. He reports that at Melton there were only 4 requests for the audio and so hardly worthwhile is the implication. But he then goes on to argue that providing such facilities in Glen Eira means that there will be a wider audience and increase council’s risk factors. Either the residents of Melton are entirely different to those in Glen Eira, or the argument is as fallacious as everything else in this officer’s report. I would think that in each council there is a committed group of council watchers.
I also have grave doubts about the costing provided. Council currently tapes all meetings. All they would have to do would be to upload this tape onto their website. Hardly $44000 worth of ratepayer funds.
November 22, 2013 at 7:09 PM
What a absolute waste this report is.
They are open Council Meetings which are already recorded.
Defamation does not depend on recorded or not recorded. Equally it doesn’t depend on the size, or potential size of the audience.
So what’s the frigging problem?
November 22, 2013 at 8:45 PM
The problem is exposure, exposure that relates to showing for all and sundry (not just the limited few in the gallery) how substandard Councillor arguments are. Quite honestly they show little thought and total inconsistency (no recollection of previous comments/stances).
November 22, 2013 at 8:12 PM
heck, I might even donate a coupla bucks to hear the rubbish that comes outa their gobs and the snide attack of good ol Jamie me lad. He’d have to watch his temper and his tongue cos it ain’t to gud if everyone gets to hear what a waste of space he is.
November 22, 2013 at 9:02 PM
The mantra of Newton and Burke is protect the status quo at all costs. That’s why they give their friends Gibbs and McLean jobs for life on the Audit Committee. No one wants the boat rocked and the current group of jelly back Councillors readily accept it all. Oh and don’t expect it to change with Pilling as Mayor. He is a true member of the gang.
November 22, 2013 at 9:44 PM
Without questioning the competence of the independent audit committee members, the main governance principle must be independence. Over 15 years on the Committee says there is no independence whatsoever on Glen Eira Audit Committee “independent” members. How this has been allowed to happen is a disgrace to the basic tenant of local governance and is at the heart of why an inquiry is needed of this Council post haste.
November 22, 2013 at 11:17 PM
Anon, take it a step further and think about giving Newton contracts after contracts without advertising a single one. That’s of the same order as the Gibbs and McLean appointments and in both cases it is councillors who are responsible for this perversion. Follow this up by appointing Lipshutz year after year to the Audit committee and this describes this council in a nutshell.
Newton’s reappointment this time was unanimous which means that Pilling and Magee for sure forgot who they represent and keeled over. Principles, integrity, and courage are completely absent in Glen Eira.
November 22, 2013 at 10:12 PM
12 months ago Council and Southwick were crowing how a deal had been made on Elsternwick Plaza. Now we find from the agenda that no deal has been made and in fact looks unlikely. What is going on with this simple upgrade? Looks like Council are liars liars with their pants on fire!
November 22, 2013 at 10:58 PM
I’d be extremely disappointed if Mayor Pilling doesn’t fight to have meetings recorded and the transcript made available to the rate payers as he was voted in on a platform of openness, transparency and accountability. If he doesn’t give effect to those undertakings I’ll feel duped.