By Molly Magennis
A state MP has raised concerns over a Hobsons Bay council rule which requires councillors to ask for permission before posting videos online of themselves from council meetings.
Western Metropolitan Region Liberal MP Bernie Finn raised the issue in parliament on March 23, saying it was something he felt very strongly about.
“I find it a little bit bemusing when unelected officers seem to have more power than elected councillors,” he said.
“It seems to me to defeat the purpose of having a council if you are going to allow these officers to run roughshod over elected councillors.”
Mr Finn then made reference to Hobsons Bay council, where councillors must first ask officers for permission before they can post their council meeting contribution on social media.
“I find it absolutely astonishing that an elected councillor who has made a speech at the council meeting has to then go and ask some unelected officer for his or her permission to use the video of their speech on their Facebook page,” he said.
He then proceeded to ask Local Government Minister Shaun Leane to “step in” and speak to Hobsons Bay council to make sure councillors have control of what they post on social media.
Mr Finn posted a video of this parliament speech to his own Facebook page, which was then shared by Hobsons Bay councillor Daria Kellanders to her page.
She thanked him for raising the issue in parliament and said it was her “understanding that a number of councils already have various overreaching restrictions on elected Councillors limiting their ability to share their views.”
In response to Mr Finn’s concerns, Hobsons Bay council said the rules were in place to protect staff and councillors.
“When the livestream is posted on a councillor’s private social media pages or websites, council is unable to monitor social media comments, including comments which may be defamatory,” they said in a statement.
“Council has a duty of care to employees and to councillors and this includes protecting them from defamatory comments.”
