THE plug has been pulled on Port Stephens Council's live webcasts with about $20,000 down the drain after the majority of councillors voted to discontinue the service.
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The council went offline immediately on Tuesday, December 11, after councillors voted in favour of a push by councillor Steve Tucker to cut the service.
The move comes after the council spent about $20,000 less than a year ago to install the technology.
Cr Tucker said Australian defamation laws were "draconian" and someone in the chambers could be sued.
He also said community-action groups were using the webcasting recordings as a threat against councillors.
"It was a great idea to start with, but it's being misused and it must go," Cr Tucker said.
Councillor Paul Le Mottee supported the motion, saying that if a councillor was sued the onus was on the councillor to cover the legal costs, not the council, and he wouldn't be willing to take that risk.
Councillors Peter Kafer, who initiated the webcasting idea, and John Nell and Geoff Dingle have labelled it a backwards step that would send the wrong message.
It is a view that the Tomaree Ratepayers and Residents Association (TRRA) has echoed.
"Imagine our disgust, sitting down to watch our elected representatives debating current issues and making decisions on our behalf, when councillor Tucker moves with no notice that item 18 be moved forward," the TRRA wrote in a letter to councillors.
"A short debate took place . . . the mayor was heard to say 'get rid of it' and the screen went blank at 6.15pm - Port Stephens was unplugged."