Matt Whitfield.
Camera IconMatt Whitfield. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Rockingham Mayor confirms the City doesn’t oppose councillors’ social media use

Victoria RificiWeekend Kwinana Courier

ROCKINGHAM Mayor Barry Sammels has confirmed the City doesn’t oppose councillors using social media to interact with the community.

There has been some media interest lately in the use of social media by councillors, and whether the City has a role in limiting their use of platforms such as Facebook.

Mayor Sammels said in a statement the City received a number of queries flowing from recent Facebook posts made by Councillor Matt Whitfield.

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He said some of those queries question the performance of the Acting Chief Executive Officer.

“I consider that the Acting CEO has performed his role admirably and I consider this view is shared by the majority of councillors,” Mayor Sammels said.

“The City does not propose to respond further to any queries on this topic.

“Any councillor’s decision to remove their social media presence is theirs alone and the City has not made any demands on any councillors to do so.”

Mayor Sammels said the City fully supports openness, transparency, and accountability but councillors must be mindful of their responsibilities which require certain matters to be kept confidential

“The City expects that all information posted on social media by councillors is factually correct,” he said.

“The City is currently preparing a social media policy for councillors, potentially based on the model released by the WA Local Government Association which aims to ensure elected members are aware of their responsibilities to provide professional and accurate representation of their Local Government.”