Wanneroo residents get five years’ access to Council meeting recordings

City of Wanneroo residents will be able to access recordings of Council proceedings for at least five years under a new policy requiring recordings to be published online within 14 days of each meeting.

The Recording and Access to Recordings of Council Meetings Policy covers Ordinary and Special Council meetings, Agenda Briefing Forums and meetings of Electors. Deputations and public question time during those meetings will also be recorded.

Meetings will be recorded in audio and video. Any meeting or portion of a meeting closed to the public will be recorded in audio but is excluded from the public-access provisions.

Once a recording is published on the City of Wanneroo website, members of the public can listen to it online at the Civic Centre or purchase a copy. Copy charges will include staff time and the cost of the digital copy, with the staff component set each financial year in the City’s Schedule of Fees and Charges.

Council Members can request a copy of proceedings at no charge. All Council Members must be notified when a recording is requested by a member of the public or a Council Member.

Members of the public cannot use audio-visual technology to record proceedings without written permission from the Mayor or the Mayor’s Delegate. Electronic recording content remains the property of the City of Wanneroo, and reproduction without written authorisation is prohibited.

The policy requires recordings to be retained under the City’s Recordkeeping Plan, the State Records Act 2000 and the General Retention and Disposal Authority for Local Government Information. It assigns responsibility for the policy to the Manager Corporate Governance and Council Services.

The City will assess the policy through measures including whether relevant meetings are recorded, the quality of recordings and the time taken to resolve requests for copies.