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The video and podcast recording of Hawkesbury City Council's controversial May ordinary meeting has disappeared from the council's webcast archive, with no media release or public statement issued to explain the decision.
The 12 May 2026 Ordinary Council Meeting which drew national attention and saw Councillor Mike Creed break down in tears and leave the chamber after making allegations of bullying and harassment by his fellow councillors, is conspicuously absent from the council's official webcast archive at webcast.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au.
The archive, which lists recordings going back years, now stops at an entry dated 16 April 2026 with the 12 May now absent.
The council's own webcast portal states that archived recordings are made available "within two business days" of each meeting and then remain on the website for future viewing. The meeting recording was present on 13 May and then disappeared within two days of being published.
The Hawkesbury Gazette has contacted the council for comment regarding the removal but has received no response at time of publication. No media release addressing the matter has been issued on the Council's news page.
There has been speculation that the recording may have been taken offline while Council considers whether sections containing distressing exchanges or strong language require moderation.
The Gazette had decided to issue a trigger warning with the contact details for Lifeline for anyone considering watching it before it was removed.
The removal of the 12 May webcast comes at a time when the council is already under intense scrutiny from the public, State parliament, and the NSW Office of Local Government.
Update:
As of 7:45am this morning, the video has been restored to the Council's website. It is currently unclear whether any of the footage or audio has been altered. Further updates will be provided.
