A south-west Victorian council is being criticised for a lack of transparency after its decision to refuse to answer questions from a local paper.
Last week the Colac Otway Shire Council chief executive informed the Colac Herald the council would no longer respond to inquiries from the paper unless the matter related to the safety of the community.
According to the Colac Herald, it was notified of the ban after publishing an article without the council's comment after council did not respond to a request for comment before the paper went to press.
The article was then posted to a Colac Herald social media platform where it garnered negative comments directed at council staff.
While the Colac Herald removed the post, it had been shared on other social media groups which it has no ability to moderate.
Colac Herald editor Alison Martin wrote in an editorial that the article that spurred the ban related to council receiving "a complaint about men gathering for a coffee on the footpath at Beeac" outside a shop, and "the men had been told to move on" by a council employee.
The social media comments that followed were described by the Colac Otway Shire CEO as "an avalanche of ugly conduct and commentary" from the public, with the CEO accusing the newspaper of displaying a "lack of care or respect for the people at any level in my organisation", according to the editorial.
'It's obstructive'
University of Melbourne Centre for Advancing Journalism senior research fellow Denis Muller said the public should be concerned when councils obstruct the media from its ability to provide independent coverage of local government.
"We're seeing some local councils in some parts of Australia setting up what they're calling their own newsrooms to pump out their own propaganda without any independent scrutiny at all," Dr Muller said.
"So not only are people being denied the sort of independent coverage they get from a newspaper, but in its place they're getting council propaganda."
Dr Muller said local media outlets were "absolutely critical" to holding local governments, who are "paid by the public purse", accountable.
"The fact that they're elected representatives in our democracy means that by convention they are accountable, and the means by which traditionally public officials are made accountable to the public is through the media," he said.
Dr Muller backed the independently-owned Colac Herald's decision to publish the original article when the council failed to respond to its inquiry by deadline, saying journalists should not allow a source to dictate publishing.
"Politicians are inclined to do this. They think that by refusing to comment or by delaying comment, they can somehow take control of the story," Dr Muller said.
"If you're given the chance to respond, then you don't take it, that's your problem, not the editor's problem. That's an obstructive relationship with the local paper."
'Staff welfare as a convenient veil to hide behind'
In a statement posted to social media, Colac Otway Shire councillor Tosh-Jake Finnigan called on the council to reverse its decision saying local media represented the most effective way for the council to engage with local communities.
Cr Finnigan said the Colac Herald could not be held responsible for what people said on social media forums it did not moderate.
"To accuse our local media of being the reason knuckle-dragging troglodytes decide to abuse people on the internet is absolutely mind-boggling, because people act like clowns on the internet all the time," Cr Finnigan said.
"The Colac Herald actually does a fantastic job in moderating their comments sections and deleting abusive content."
According to Cr Finnigan, councillors were informed last week that a newsletter updating Colac Otway Shire residents of council works will be sent to every address in the shire three times a year.
"The reasoning for this was explained with words to the effect of 'it's a way of controlling our own narrative without the Colac Herald adding their own spin'," Cr Finnigan's social media post read.
"Openness and transparency is key to a good relationship with our local community. All shutting down lines of communication with our local paper does is give the impression council can't take criticism and has something to hide."
Resolution underway?
The ABC understands Colac Otway Shire Mayor Marg White will meet the editor of the Colac Herald and council's chief executive this week in the hope of coming to a resolution.
The Colac Herald editor was contacted but declined to comment.
When asked why the decision to ban council responses was made, and what events led to the decision, the council said in a statement "Council will continue to welcome all media outlets to attend its public events and meetings, receive media releases and report on council's decisions and activities in a fair and balanced manner".
"However, council will not participate in any form of public reporting or commentary that compromises the wellbeing and safety of staff," the statement said.
A Colac Otway Shire spokesperson confirmed the ban did not extend to other media publications.
