Hawkesbury City Council meeting transcripts 2018-

“The very word ‘secrecy’ is repugnant in a free and open society. We must not cover up our mistakes or withhold from the press and the public the facts they deserve to know.”

John F. Kennedy, 1961

Public transcripts of what is spoken by elected officials have traditionally been the province of State and Federal parliaments. ‘Hansards’ were compiled by stenographers, carefully matching spoken debate to speakers and publishing them as a permanent record. I have located no examples of any local government able or willing to provide the same degree of disclosure, despite audio recordings of Council meetings lying clearly in the public domain. I am pleased to say that, with this project and the assistance of AI technologies, Hawkesbury Council is the first.

I sought election on a platform of encouraging more open and accountable government. I hope this initiative demonstrates that new technologies bring this within reach of all local governments.

Councillor Nathan Zamprogno

Meeting statistics