After a discussion with the Chronicle, the council reached a compromise, offering to post a recording of the meeting online after its conclusion, but it said a live stream would not be possible.
Dr Dean Knight, an associate professor at Victoria University's Faculty of Law, said the unwillingness to live stream the meeting was likely unlawful.
"A temporary amendment to the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 regulates access to meetings that are public — that is, not public-excluded — during the pandemic. It directs meetings be broadcast live 'if it is reasonably practicable," Knight explained.
"Given the Council is video-recording the committee meetings and is also live broadcasting full Council, it's difficult to see any legitimate reason for not live broadcasting the committee meetings."
The council accepted that it should have made the meeting more accessible, and said all future committee meetings will be live-streamed while under Covid-19 restrictions.
"It is important to us that we are transparent in our decision-making to our community, so while we are under alert level restrictions we will follow this process for any committee and council meetings that are held in our Council Chamber," group manager for democracy and planning Carol Gordon said.
Gordon did not respond to questions asking why the council made the call in the first place to not live-stream the meeting.