General News
27 November, 2024
Mareeba council camera shy
LIVESTREAMING council meetings has been ruled out by Mareeba Shire Council because it is too costly and opens councillors up to “out-of-context ridicule, AI manipulation, and distorted viral spreading of messaging”.
At its November meeting, councillors voted against the proposal and, instead, encouraged the public to come and see their ordinary meetings in person at the Rankin Street Chambers.
While there is no legislative requirement for councils to electronically record the meetings and livestream them, neighbouring councils Cairns, Tablelands, Douglas and the Cassowary Coast all offer the livestreaming service to allow residents to hear and see council decision-making.
A report to council which weighed up the costs and other possible issues found that to set up a livestream system would initially cost $63,790, with annual costs being $40,703, which included staff monitoring for correct recording.
“To spend $100,000 when people are screaming that roads are not fixed after the [flood] disaster, well, this is not a good year to be thinking about livestreaming,” Mayor Angela Toppin said after the meeting.
The report to council also listed the political and reputational risks of livestreaming which included:
• Misinterpretation: spontaneous moments can be easily misinterpreted when isolated from the full conversation.
• Viral Spread: short clips can quickly go viral, often without proper context, amplifying misunderstandings.
• Reputation Damage: misrepresentation can harm the public image of individuals or organisations, leading to lost trust and opportunities.
• Political consequences: in politics, distorted narratives can influence public opinion and affect elections or policies.
• Need for Nuance: complex discussions require context; snippets can oversimplify important issues.
• AI manipulation: having video footage publicly available makes it very easy with AI to misrepresent or create false statements purportedly by councillors.
It also noted the service could be intermittently impacted by unreliable communication networks and technological problems.
Cr Nipper Brown asked that the decision be delayed until budgetary talks next year, which was supported by Cr Amy Braes, who also added that livestreaming had some good points that should not be overlooked.
“I thank officers for investigating this matter because it is one of the issues I raised at the first meeting of this new council,” she said.
“And I think while the report does identify the risks associated with the livestreaming, it doesn’t address the benefit of enhancing transparency with council processes, and the benefit of making council meetings accessible to residents across the vast Mareeba Shire.”
“Livestreaming is commonplace ... but I’m still floored by the costs to implement even a basic system.
“And that may be difficult to justify when our budget setting process requires diligent review of expenditure to the level of hundreds of dollars, let alone hundreds of thousands.”
The meeting approved the recommendation not to livestream, with Crs Braes and Brown voting against.
