With live-streaming of meetings now possible, some councils across the state are already doing it and others are considering it.

Orange City Council is one of those looking at it, for the second time this year. 

STORY: Mayor reverses view on live-streaming council meetings | Poll

The usual reasons for recording are to allow people who might not be able to make it to the meeting the chance to engage from the comfort of their homes.

With different councils’ meetings clashing with work and family commitments, it removes some of the inconvenience and they can also revisit recordings at a later date. 

But in Orange’s case, it’s a matter of keeping the record straight, according to mayor John Davis. 

Cr Davis has pointed to recent trouble with minutes from the meetings after being questioned on a number of occasions. 

On rare occasions, this newspaper has encountered councillors with different recollections of their words at meetings to those written down and reported on. 

While the mayor has praised the hard work his colleagues dedicate to their representative roles, he has gone as far as to say it has become an issue of professionalism.

But certainly there’s no doubt that disputes on what is said in the chamber would be quickly resolved if the meetings are recorded. 

There is some argument that recording debates will stifle them.

We argue this should not be the case – meetings are not subject to parliamentary privilege as it is and ratepayers who address the council monthly are reminded of this on each occasion.

Councillors should already be refraining from defamatory remarks and by our observations, they are. 

Some have fallen foul of the council’s code of conduct with remarks they’ve made in the chamber and perhaps knowing the record could be checked later could reduce the number of complaints and the time and expense taken to investigate them.

But irrespective of questions over accuracy, we do know our readers would take advantage of the service, with a clear majority saying they would watch live-streamed council meetings from home. 

With radio podcasts and on-demand television removing all concept of scheduling, there’s no reason why a council meeting should be any different.