A Wagga City Council report has recommended continuing to “livestream” videos of meetings online.
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During a six month trial of the web-based video technology, meetings were viewed 3171 times, with an average of 378 unique viewers per meeting. The majority of viewers watched live, with 37.5 per cent watching on a mobile phone.
Councillors voted to trial livestreaming meetings at the February meeting in the interests of community engagement and greater transparency. Streaming began in May and the first three months saw 558, 699 and 493 unique viewers respectively.
At the time, mayor Greg Conkey said the move was to give the community greater access to decision-making and debate at the meetings.
“The introduction of this trial is part of the City of Wagga’s commitment to openness and transparency,” he said. “If you can’t get to the meeting… you can view it anywhere or watch it on demand after the meeting.”
Numbers dropped off by October to just 48 viewers, but the report found people would “tune in” to view discussion on a specific issue. A survey conducted by council found 56 per cent of respondents would rather watch a meeting online than attend in person.
Staff have recommended continuing to livestreaming until June 2019 at a cost of about $1000 per meeting.