On the Local Government News Roundup for 2nd September 2023,
Councillors’ phones seized in an IBAC investigation;
Hume Council explains why it withdrew an appeal in a councillor conduct matter;
New short stay regulations a step closer in the city of Melbourne;
Three former NSW councillors found to have engaged in corrupt conduct;
5G critics on notice for abusing council meeting forums;
Council CEO appointments announced in WA;
A mayor pleads not guilty to drug charges;
And much more from around the world of local government.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government; and by Snap Send Solve, helping keep shared spaces safe, clean and great to be in.
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Stories in this episode (with links where available):
Hi, this is Chris Eddy, coming to you from the land of the Wadawurrung People with the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
On the podcast today:
- Councillors’ phones seized in an IBAC investigation;
- Hume Council explains why it withdrew an appeal in a councillor conduct matter;
- New short stay regulations a step closer in the city of Melbourne;
- Three former NSW councillors found to have engaged in corrupt conduct;
- 5G critics on notice for abusing council meeting forums;
- Council CEO appointments announced in WA;
- And a mayor pleads not guilty to drug charges.
Just some of the many local government stories getting our attention today… let’s round ‘em up!
Thanks for joining me for today’s podcast – brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association – the national broadcaster on all things local government;
And by Snap Send Solve, in the business of keeping shared spaces safe, clean and great to be in.
Victorian Roundup:
Four councillors at Moonee Valley City Council have had their phones seized in an IBAC investigation.
The Age was the first to report the developments on Thursday, revealing that Crs Cam Nation, Narelle Sharpe, Jacob Bettio and Samantha Byrne had all been asked to hand over their phones.
The investigation is believed to be related to the use of local land by the Essendon Royals Soccer Club, which has confirmed that the home of a club representative was visited by investigators last week.
The Herald Sun has described it as a sports rorts investigation, leading to raids on several properties in recent weeks.
The investigation is believed to be at an early stage, and no suggestion of improper conduct is made in relation to any councillor or other individual.
A follow up story from The Age on Friday delves into a history of tension between the soccer club and the council over the allocation of sporting grounds and access to lighting.
The club has rejected any allegation of wrongdoing.
Hume City Council has released a statement explaining its withdrawal last week of an appeal against a VCAT ruling that exonerated Cr Trevor Dance of a serious misconduct finding.
The council said that the decision to withdraw the appeal was made once it became apparent that based on the Supreme Court Justice’s interpretation of the legislation, the matter should never have reached a Councillor Conduct Panel in the first place.
Hume Council’s CEO Sheena Frost said that if the new interpretation had been raised earlier in the process, the parties would have been saved a lot of time and money.
She said that different interpretations at each stage of the process about what constitutes serious misconduct reflect “the fact that the legal framework is flawed, and requires review.”
Ms Frost said the council would refer this experience to Local Government Victoria for input into the current review of the Councillor Conduct Framework.
As reported in episode #255 of the Local Government News Roundup, Cr Dance has called for a review of his case and the expenditure by the council to pursue the case through legal channels.
Ms Frost said an update of associated legal costs would be provided in a quarterly report due in October.
In more Hume news, the council has this week voted to cease its membership of professional body LGPro Victoria.
The move was flagged in a Notice of Motion from Cr Trevor Dance, and received the support of Mayor Joseph Haweil who expressed concerns about the LGPro submission to the state’s local government culture review earlier this year.
Cr Haweil stated that a number of councillors felt the peak body’s call for stronger sanctions against councillors for alleged misbehaviour was beyond its remit and an insult to the vast majority of elected representatives.
The City of Melbourne has given in-principle approval to new regulations on short-stay rental accommodation, which will include a 180 days-per-year cap and an annual registration fee of $350.
The reforms are seen as a small step towards freeing up more homes for the long-term rental market.
Experts say impact on rental properties will be minor, according to a report from The Guardian.
The Chamber of Commerce argues it is disincentive to tourists, while others say it doesn’t go far enough.
While some Victorian councils have introduced fees for short term accommodation hosts, Melbourne would be the first in the state to introduce an annual cap on short stay nights.
Monash Council has welcomed detailed information from the Victorian Government regarding the Suburban Rail Loop project, including a timeline for tunnelling work and the precinct planning phase.
Monash Mayor, Cr Tina Samardzija is optimistic that the Suburban Rail Loop will bring about significant positive changes in Monash’s connectivity to the rest of Melbourne, with three stations and four precincts in the municipality.
Mayor Samardzija said the council is encouraged by the fact that the Precinct Discussion Paper emphasizes a shared vision, recognizing the importance of local input in decision-making processes.
It plans to publish its response to the Precinct Discussion Paper after it is endorsed by the Council.
Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong councils have hosted a forum to address the urgent need for more mental health services for young people in the inner west of Melbourne.
The event was attended by Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Emma McBride, Gellibrand MP Tim Watts, and representatives from council areas.
The forum provided an opportunity for local young people to share their personal stories about the challenges they face in accessing mental health support.
There is a significant shortage of affordable and specialised mental health services in the area, with limited access to headspace centres.
The councils have launched advocacy campaigns urging the federal government to fund headspace services in Melbourne’s inner west, with Orygen, a leading mental health service provider, highlighting the critical unmet needs and high rates of mental health conditions among young people in the inner-western suburbs.
Victorian Briefs:
The election of Elise Wilkinson to Greater Geelong City Council has been confirmed, with the VEC declaring the result of a countback on Thursday afternoon.
Ms Wilkinson replaces Stephanie Asher, after the former mayor resigned last month prior to relocating out of the municipality.Victoria’s Auditor-General Andrew Greaves has been reappointed for a second term in the role.
Mr Greaves has overseen the office responsible for auditing Victoria’s public sector entities since 2016, following five years as the Auditor-General of Queensland.
Wyndham City Council has announced it is a founding partner of the Digital Futures Network.
The network gives community and businesses in Wyndham access to programs and learning tools through libraries and the SPARK Innovation Hub to navigate the digital world.
The Digital Futures Network currently has over 60 locations and touchpoints, serving more than four million Victorians.
60 women have graduated from the first round of the Women Leading Locally program, which aims to promote gender equality in local government in Victoria.
The program is looking to build on the momentum from the last round of elections, in which women constituted 43.8% of elected councillors.
Women Leading Locally is providing training, skills development, mentoring, and resources to empower women to campaign in the October 2024 elections, and is part of the government’s Gender Equality Strategy, which advocates for 50-50 gender representation on councils by 2025.
The second round of the program has already commenced with 65 participants from areas with low female representation, including Aboriginal women, culturally and linguistically diverse women, young women, women with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ individuals.
National Roundup:
NSW:
ICAC has found that three councillors at the former Hurstville Council engaged in serious corrupt conduct when they accepted cash and gifts in return for their support for development proposals.
The ICAC inquiry found that the three former councillors Vicenzo Badalati, Constantine Hindi and Philip Sansom did not declare any conflict of interest in relation to their votes on those proposals.
It also found that the wife of then councillor Hindi stood to gain from the development through her real estate agency, and no pecuniary interest was declared.
The commission issued an opinion that advice should be obtained from the Director of Public Prosecutions with respect to potential prosecution of Mr Badalati, Mr Hindi and his wife, and the developer Ching Wah Uy.
The commission has made 11 recommendations to help prevent the conduct identified in the investigation from recurring, including amendments to the model Code of Conduct, and changes to the Local Government Act requiring reasons to be given when planning decisions depart from staff recommendations.
Critics of 5G technology have been told to stop abusing council meetings at Lane Cove in Sydney.
The council’s mayor, Andrew Zbik, said the 5G speeches at meetings are becoming an abuse of the public forum system.
The Daily Telegraph reported that 37 separate speeches about 5G have been made at six council meetings since the start of this year.
Cr Zbik said the behaviour was bordering on campaigning, and was an abuse of a forum typically used for council matters such as roads and rates.
It has however led to the council writing to the federal government and telecommunications agencies to obtain details of radiation emitted by 5G infrastructure, and to press for an independent assessor to measure exposure at a number of sites in Lane Cove.
A report on those letters is due to come before the next council meeting, at which time 5G is expected to become a dominant issue yet again.
A Sydney mayor has called for tough penalties for those responsible for the destruction of 265 trees, many of them natives and some up to 100 years old.
Tanya Taylor, the mayor of Willoughby City Council, told ABC Radio that somebody should go to jail for the large scale tree vandalism at Castle Cove.
The council has offered a reward of up to $10k for information leading to the successful prosecution of those responsible for the vandalism
QLD:
Gold Coast Councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden has been granted bail this week, after being charged with the murder of his stepfather. The trial is not expected to commence until 2025.
Cr Bayldon-Lumsden remains a councillor for the time being, while Deputy Premier and Local Government Minister Stephen Miles awaits legal advice.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate says he hopes to sit down with Cr Bayldon-Lumsden soon to discuss how to manage his councillor role, indicating that he is open to considering online participation in council meetings.
It has been reported that Cr Bayldon-Lumsden is required to wear a GPS tracker and report to police three times per week.
Gold Coast Bulletin $; ABC News
WA:
City of Nedlands CEO Bill Parker has been announced as the new chief for the City of Wanneroo this week.
The 20 year local government veteran has worked across metropolitan and regional Western Australia, and will take up the Wanneroo role in early December.
Current CEO Daniel Simms is vacating the role after 21 years with the city to take up the top job at the City of Cockburn.
Meanwhile at the City of Bunbury, where Malcolm Osborne is retiring after six years as CEO, the council has appointed Alan Ferris to the position, commencing in mid-November.
Mr Ferris is moving from a director position at the Town of Claremont. He is a former elected member and mayor at East Fremantle, and has over three decades of state and local government experience.
City of Kwinana Mayor Carol Adams has announced her resignation, which will take effect in October.
Adams has been involved in local government for 26 years, serving as a councillor, deputy mayor, and the town’s first female mayor. Her decision to resign aligns with her previous announcement that she will not run for re-election as mayor.
Cr Adams has been recognized for her contributions to public life with the Order of Australia Medal.
The upcoming local government elections will see the public directly elect a new mayor for the first time.
TAS:
A Tasmanian mayor is calling for a greater share of revenue generated from within its municipality.
West Coast Council is home to most of the state’s major mines, and mayor Shane Pitt believes 30 per cent of government revenue from mining royalties, hydro dividends and aquaculture fees should come back to his community.
In the council’s submission to the local government review process, the mayor says the West Coast is the most disadvantaged area in Tasmania, and without a new arrangement, continued reliance on rates based on property values will perpetuate that disadvantage.
The Burnie Advocate reported this week that while the state receives annual royalties of $84M, West Coast Council receives less than $2M in rates from the mining sector.
NT:
Barkly Regional Council Mayor Jeff McLaughlin has pleaded not guilty to drug charges in the Alice Springs Local Court.
Cr McLaughlin was charged in September last year with driving under the influence of cannabis, possession and supply of the drug, and cultivating cannabis plants.
The charge of driving under the influence has been dropped.
ABC News has reported that McLaughlin’s lawyer accused the police in court of misusing their powers and “trumping up” the charges against him.
He also questioned the use of a faulty drug testing machine and the imposition of unnecessary bail conditions.
The case will continue in March next year.
National Briefs:
City of Stirling councillor Bianca Sandri has resigned, effective 21st October, and won’t contest the upcoming election. PerthNow reports the councillor is trading an elected role for a senior position at the City of Bayswater. The former town planning officer has been appointed the city’s new Director of Community Services.
Ten coastal Queensland councils will share in $3.3M in government funding for projects to protect their communities from coastal erosion, storm tides, and the threat of rising sea levels. It’s part of a program developed with the Local Government Association of Queensland to help councils prepare and implement coastal hazard adaption strategies. The largest grants under the program are going to Gladstone, Bundaberg, Redland, Noosa and Gold Coast councils.
Applications are open for the CEO position at the District Council of Robe on South Australia’s Limestone Coast. This follows the resignation last month of James Holyman after more than 4 years in the role. LG Talent is handling the recruitment, with applications open til 17th September.
The latest Davidson Local Government CEO Index report is out, revealing the lasting impact of the pandemic on local government organisations across the country.
The survey of 119 CEOS in all states and territories found that while technological capability and digital transformation has been positively impacted, the overall effect on employee wellbeing and financial sustainability has been negative.
Most CEOs see artificial intelligence as a positive development for the sector, as long as staff are adequately trained in the technology; while the issue most likely to keep CEOs awake at night is the difficulty in sourcing engineers, project managers and statutory planners.
You can access the 2023 Davidson report from the link in the show notes.
International Spotlight:
USA:
Los Angeles City Council has approved a criminal investigation into the actions of the Texas governor, Greg Abbott, after a total of 11 buses of migrants have been sent from Texas to Los Angeles.
The council has called for investigations by county, state and federal authorities into the transportation of the migrants, and has urged the government to provide housing and other resources to ensure a dignified welcome for the migrants.
435 migrants in total have arrived in LA from Texas, with the most recent bus containing 35 asylum seekers from various countries.
As reported by CBS News, ABC News and others, Governor Abbott, and Florida Governor Ron De Santis, have defended their actions, citing an influx of undocumented migrants into their states.
In New Orleans, a new effort to tackle the city’s growing problem with graffiti vandalism has been launched.
The new graffiti abatement program is part of Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s vision for a litter, debris and graffiti free city, and will target the most severe instances of defacement.
Mayor Cantrell says the aim is not just to restore visual appeal of neighbourhoods, but to combat criminal activity, break the cycle of disinvestment, and foster an environment conducive to economic and community growth.
A local property maintenance company has been engaged to provide the graffiti abatement services, starting with a series of priority corridors across the city for immediate removal efforts.
UK:
A council in England is recruiting for a new mental health officer to address above-average suicide rates.
Essex County Council is concerned that suicide rates in parts of the county are significantly above the England average.
Between 13.8 and 15 people per 100,000 in parts of the county’s north-east took their lives each year between 2019 and 2021 – the average figure England during the same period was 10.6.
As reported by the BBC, the county has faced criticism from coroners over mental health services and deaths, with claims that the council did not act on referrals and assessments, leading to deaths.
A former national clinical director for mental health with the NHS is leading an inquiry into the deaths of up to 2,000 people in Essex.
The extent of the road maintenance challenges of one English council has been revealed by BBC News.
£385,000 in insurance claims were paid out in one year by North Yorkshire Council for damage caused by potholes – and that’s a significant decrease from the previous year’s compensation amount of £1.03 million.
It is the second lowest amount paid out since 2013.
North Yorkshire Council, with a population of over 600,000, has a road network of over 9,000 km. It received over 3,700 pothole reports in the last financial year alone.
Europe:
Paris has become the first European capital to ban rented electric scooters.
The decision to end the rental e-scooter experiment comes after 5 years of controversy, with continued complaints despite strict regulations.
As reported by The Guardian, The city believes its ample public transport network and bike lanes will provide alternatives for commuters, while some of the scheme’s use are expected to purchase their own scooters
The availability and use of rental bikes, including electric bikes, is also expected to increase.
The city’s e-scooters will be redistributed to other cities such as London, Copenhagen, and Tel Aviv.
NZ:
Auckland Council has confirmed the sale of a portion of its shares in Auckland International Airport Limited as part of its Annual Budget.
The council has sold seven percent of its shares at an average price of $8.11 per share, generating $833 million. The proceeds from the sale will be used to reduce council debt.
The decision to sell the shares was made in response to financial challenges caused by the pandemic, flood and cyclone recovery efforts, and rising inflation and interest rates.
Auckland Council retains an 11% shareholding in the airport.
Close:
That’s the latest from the Roundup for 2nd September 2023.
Brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, with support from Snap Send Solve.
You can find links to the stories referenced in this episode and a full transcript at www.lgnewsroundup.com.
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The Local Government News Roundup is recorded in the city of [Greater Geelong, Victoria, on the land of the Wadawurrung People](https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/rap/article/item/8d87039c8c758ca.aspx#:~:text=Wadawurrung People are the Traditional,intangible heritage of their land.) of the Kulin Nation.
More of the latest local government news coming your way next week. Until then, thanks for listening, and bye for now.