Media response - new electronic sign-in process
Published on 27 February 2025
Response to The Advertiser.
I'm writing an article about the new electronic sign-in process that has been introduced at Council and committee meetings. I was hoping to get a response to the following questions:
- Has the sign-in system officially been introduced to council and committee meetings? If not, when do you anticipate that it will be implemented?
- Why has the council decided to introduce the system?
- Have there been any safety concerns and/or incidents at council or committee meetings that have promoted the new system?
- Is Onkaparinga the first council to implement the sign-in system, or has this been occurring within other councils?
- How beneficial will it be for the council to record-keep details of its visitors?
Our new visitor electronic sign-in system for the council’s Noarlunga office and our Field Operations Centre in Seaford Meadows replaces our previous manual sign in system and was introduced on Monday 17 February. The system aims to improve safety, security and efficiency while also providing a professional visitor experience.
All visitors and contractors accessing restricted areas, including staff areas, and people attending Council and committee meetings will be required to sign in via the system. Elected members and people with front counter enquiries don’t need to sign in.
It’s common practice for meetings held by other SA councils, that attendees in the public gallery need to sign in and out, and provide their name and phone number. Our new system simply replaces a previous manual (paper) sign-in process and puts us in line with other organisations Australia-wide that already have electronic sign-in, such as schools, hospitals, aged care facilities and state government buildings. Other councils using this same system include Salisbury, Charles Sturt, Burnside, Norwood Payneham and St Peters, and LGA South Australia.
You have two options for checking in and out – using our onsite device or downloading the Sine Pro app to your mobile phone. Both options are quick and easy, with onscreen instructions to guide you, and our security concierge and front counter staff will be able to help if required. You’ll be prompted to enter your name, and either a phone number or email address. You’ll also have your photo taken by the system. At the completion of check-in, the system instantly prints a visitor badge, which must be worn while onsite.
Our overarching aim is to facilitate the objectives of the Local Government Act 1999, which includes conducting Council meetings in a place open to the public, while complying with our duty under the Work Health Safety Act 2012 to protect the health and safety of our staff and all other persons who enter our workplace. The system importantly also assists with the management of visitors and contractors, allowing us to notify individuals onsite in an emergency.
This new measure follows previous changes we made in January 2023 to ensure the public, staff and elected members are safe when participating in the democratic process of Council meetings. Those previous changes were prompted by disruption at one of our Council meetings that forced it to be adjourned, and disruptions at meetings of other councils.
ENDS