General News
10 June, 2026
Councils no longer obligated to livestream meetings
Bogan and Warren Shire Councils may no longer need to livestream meetings.
By Abigail McLaughlin
Bogan and Warren Shire Councils may no longer need to livestream meetings and will be able to return to closed door briefing sessions following a decision by the NSW Legislative Council to disallow the State Government's 2025 Model Code of Meeting Practice.
Councils across NSW adopted the new code of meeting practice at the end of 2025 were obligated to invest in audio visual equipment to livestream meetings.
The new code also prevented information being given to councillors which wasn’t fully available to the public (with the exception of sensitive information deemed confidential).
However, after only four months under the new code, advice was received from the NSW Office of Local Government directing councils to reinstate their previous methods of operation.
In a report to the May Bogan Shire Council meeting, general manager Derek Francis said the Office of Local Government had advised councils to rescind their adoption of the 2025 code as the first item of business at their next meeting to ensure compliance with the Local Government Act.
Mr Francis said concerns about the new code had been raised by local government representatives across NSW.
Among the issues cited were restrictions on participation in meetings via audio visual link, requirements relating to public forums and the ban on private councillor briefings.
Bogan Shire Council spent around $10,000 installing audio visual equipment and had been livestreaming all meetings in 2026.
Mr Francis said a decision on whether council would continue to do this would be made at a future date.
Correspondence tabled at the meeting included a letter from Greens MLC Dr Amanda Cohn, who said feedback from the local government sector indicated the new code was "not fit for purpose" and had produced a number of unintended consequences.
Local Government NSW president Darcy Byrne also welcomed the disallowance, saying council staff briefings were an integral part of councillors gathering information and performing their roles under the Local Government Act.
The Office of Local Government has advised councils the government was continuing to work on a revised meeting code and further guidance will be provided once drafting is complete.