The Local Government Minister Nick Staikos has announced the appointment of a municipal monitor to Whittlesea City Council, as a result of the report from a Commission of Inquiry into the council’s governance practices.
The appointment of Steve Kingshott, effective 15th October, comes as the six month suspension of former mayor Aidan McLindon expires this week.
Appointing a monitor was one of 17 recommendations by the Commission, including 4 towards the Council and thirteen to the government.
The government said it would respond to the remaining recommendations in due course.
The Commission said it had serious concerns about the conduct of Mr McLindon when he was Mayor, but that there were also shortcomings in the performances of the Councillors, the CEO Craig Lloyd and the Administration, and the Deputy Mayor that contributed to the problems at the Council.
It found that councillors were divided along political lines, and did not exercise due diligence in deciding to elect Mr McLindon as mayor in November 2024.
It also found that the relationship between the mayor and CEO “broke down” very early after the election, and was a factor in the events that subsequently unfolded, noting that the CEO was “very quick to escalate” matters to integrity agencies, exacerbating rather than calming internal tensions.
With regard to Mr McLindon, the Commission found his conduct was detrimental to the council, and that he failed to adequately perform the role of a mayor. It recommended that the Local Government Inspectorate investigate a number of complaints about the former mayor promptly, noting that an internal arbitration process paused during Mr McLindon’s suspension would resume.
In addition to the appointment of a monitor, the Commission has recommended a number of measures to improve councillor relationships; particular support from the monitor for the CEO in performing aspects of his role and for his relationship with the returning Cr McLindon; and further training for Cr McLindon, finding that he failed to meet required standards of conduct.
The Commission also recommends changes to the Local Government Act around mayoral election timing, terms of office, and guidance for mayors. It suggests the Act be amended to allow councils to remove mayors who are failing to perform their role under certain circumstances.
It has also recommended a Local Government Integrity Commission be established to deal with all allegations of misconduct for alleged breaches of the Act, replacing the functions of the Inspectorate, internal arbiters, Councillor Conduct Panels and VCAT’s gross misconduct function.
The City of Whittlesea issued a statement noting the release of the report, and saying it would consider all elements of the report and make no further comment at this stage.
Click here for the Commission of Inquiry report.
Click here for the Terms of Reference for the Municipal Monitor.