At the EGM on 29 May there was considerable discussion and...

At the EGM on 29 May there was considerable discussion and concern expressed about virtual only meetings.

Two things came up relating to AGM question time that were of particular interest to me, because I find question time is the most useful and interesting part of the meeting.

Firstly, a shareholder suggested that there might be a perception or suspicion that question time is filled with Dorothy Dixers, or that preference is given to known people who will praise the company and ask longwinded questions effectively padded with much praise so there is no time left for others.

There seemed to be a resounding NO/not happening/wouldn't do that/unethical kind of response to that questions.
There is not a lot we can do to firm up trust in the process, except maybe restrict the time used to ask and maybe even answer each question, and limit questions per shareholder to one unless time allows for more. My superficial reading of ASX and AGM rules suggests an expectation that all questions are satisfied. That seems impractical in terms of time allocated. I personally would prefer to see less time presenting and more time answering.

The other issue that came up has niggled at me for years, and that is that AGMs are recorded and made available for shareholders who can't attend to view at their convenience - except for Question Time. Question Time is on the agenda, it forms part of the meeting, and it is a requirement to allow shareholders to participate and ask questions. So why is this part of the meeting not made available for shareholders to view? This question was not asked but someone (I think it was Abby CFO and Company Secretary) was quick to explain that they can't show Question Time because people identify themselves and there are Privacy issues/requirements to satisfy.

I think this was one of those moments, Dungiven, when my mind wandered a little. I was thinking 'Hang on, but don't they ask us to identify ourselves before asking the question? And then they say they can't show us the recording because we've identified ourselves?"

I can see a need for people to identify themselves. PAR need to be satisfied that they are answering to bona fide shareholders for a start, and not gatecrashers or outsiders with their own agenda.

So how do we get around this so that all shareholders have access to Question Time?

I know there are many of you who have a better understanding of ASX rules and Privacy requirements than I do,

We could simply edit out the bits identifying individuals (if we had the resources). This would be fairly straightforward but is it legal to mess with the recording? Or we could state pre Question Time that all questions and answers are recorded and shared, so if you ask a question, consent to record and share is implied. In that case, though, individuals who don't wish to be identified outside of that room would not be able to put their questions forward.

What's the solution? Q & A time should be available for all shareholders to see.