Donnybrook-Balingup Shire votes against livestreaming audit and risk meetings amid social media misinformation

A South West council has rejected a ratepayer request to livestream its audit and risk committee meetings amid concerns footage from ordinary meetings is being manipulated. The Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup’s annual electors’ meeting earlier this year saw a motion passed to request the council livestream the meetings of the committee, which helps the shire deal with some of its most sensitive issues. But the request was rejected at its last meeting amid concerns, including from Cr Grant Patrick, that footage from the livestreaming of ordinary meetings has been “manipulated, (made to) target individuals, and put out on social media without context”. Cr Alexis Davy said the council needed to be cautious of what was said online and how much information was broadcast. “I would like to see the audit and risk committee put more of a focus on risk and the development of the framework,” she said. “I don’t think it’s in the broader interests of the community to expose and broadcast our vulnerabilities on the internet. “I don’t see there to be any net positive from broadcasting these.” Cr Grant Patrick expressed his disdain at ordinary council meeting livestreams being manipulated. “I don’t support that (the committee meetings) be livestreamed for that reason, because of the manipulation of information and it being put out there without proper context or information,” he said. Temporary chief executive Garry Hunt brought up the legality of capturing or doctoring the livestream, which goes against copyright laws. “The president reads out at the beginning of the meeting that you’re not entitled to capture the information and amend it or monitor it,” he said. “I believe it may be an offence.” Deputy shire president Lisa Glover spoke for the committee meetings to be livestreamed because she could not physically attend and had no other way of participating. “I am of the view that transparency is very important ... our community needs to see we are working to mitigate risk,” she said. “I see that our meetings can be held like these ones, in that anything that needs to be said behind closed doors can happen after the livestream when everyone exits the room.” Shire president Vivienne McCarthy voted to reject the livestream request amid concerns the misinformation spread online was becoming too much to correct. “We have experienced significant misunderstanding of our financial statements ... (and) misconceptions about accounting terms without explanations,” she said. The decision to not livestream audit and risk committee meetings was carried 6-2, with Cr Glover and Cr Deanna Shand in the minority.