Police remove councillor Kelly James after she refuses to stop livestreaming council meeting
Police removed councillor Kelly James after she refused to stop livestreaming a council meeting.
Police came to a Moree Plains Shire Council meeting last week when councillor Kelly James refused to stop livestreaming on Facebook and would not leave the chamber. The council had voted to expel her for breaking the Code of Meeting Practice and for not apologizing for comments deemed improper toward staff.
James stayed in her seat filming on her phone while the council halted for about 40 minutes before officers arrived. She said she was filming to protect herself and claimed meeting minutes were changed afterward.
When police asked her to leave, she livestreamed her exit and told officers the removal was planned, complaining to the Local Government Minister. James has been expelled five times this year and censured twice.
The council said a security guard cost $55 an hour and the disruption delayed business by about 45 minutes.
- About 40 minutes
- Meeting delay
- 5 times
- Expulsions this year
- 2 times
- Censures this year
- Moree Plains Shire Council
- Location
Why it mattersThe incident highlights tensions between council transparency, official procedures and regional government accountability as disruptions intensify over meeting records and conduct.
AustraliaThe incident highlights tensions in Australian local government about livestreaming rights, meeting procedure rules, and how councils document their decisions.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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