Strathbogie Shire suspended

STRATHBOGIE Shire Council has been suspended by the State Government until October next year, in response to a final report delivered by Peter Stephenson, the council’s second municipal monitor this term. Mr Stephenson has been named the council’s interim administrator and the State Government has said a longer-term appointment will be made in due course. The suspension applies to all Strathbogie Shire councillors and takes effect from Wednesday, December 6 until the next council elections in October 2024. Mr Stephenson’s final report concluded the “council does not have the ability to address the issues raised in this report and to function effectively without further ministerial intervention”. His report stated the issues identified by past municipal monitor Janet Dore in 2022 continued to persist, including councillors failing to understand their roles, failing to prepare adequately for meetings and demonstrating a lack of respect for the administration and the CEO. The council and councillors were asked to consider the monitor’s report and respond to the Minister for Local Government Melissa Horne, who had asked councillors to “show cause” by November 10 as to why they should not be suspended. According to the State Government, the responses from the council and individual councillors showed the council had failed to fully appreciate and address the problems raised in Mr Stephenson’s report, which had resulted in the community receiving sub-standard service from its elected representatives. North East Media understands Mayor Laura Binks had responded to the minister asking for all councillors to be suspended, while some councillors including Cr Robin Weatherald had opposed this request. In recent weeks, there has been a clear split between councillors as Cr Binks, Cr Chris Raeburn and Cr Sally Hayes-Burke all said they wished for the minister to intervene immediately, whereas Deputy Mayor Paul Murray and Cr Weatherald expressed optimism regarding the council’s future. “Strathbogie residents deserve a council that serves their needs and it is clear from the work of two municipal monitors that a circuit-breaker is needed,” Minister Horne said. “The administrator will restore good governance so that local representatives can return in due course and properly fulfil their important roles.” Mr Stephenson, the council’s new interim administrator, is a local government consultant and former Darebin City Council mayor. He told North East Media his first priority as an interim administrator is “to be fully briefed and understand the top priorities that exist right now”. “That’s the first thing to get across to everybody because the previous role [as a municipal monitor] was a different one – it was more about the way decisions were made than the actual decisions,” he said. “The second thing I would guess is to reassure the CEO and her team that essentially it’s business as usual, and this isn’t something that the workers at the council should be worried about.” Asked how he felt about returning to the council, Mr Stephenson said as someone who is “largely retired, but still with the capacity to help out” he tends to say “yes” when asked. He was not surprised by the minister’s decision to suspend the councillors given the findings of his own report and the responses of councillors to the minister’s “show cause” letter. Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland commended the decision and said she hoped it would inspire a new generation of would-be councillors to step up at the next council elections. “This decision, albeit delayed, is a step in the right direction towards ensuring residents of the Strathbogie Shire are governed effectively and with their best interests in mind,” Ms Cleeland said. “The ongoing uncertainty around the decision from the Minister, coupled with poor governance, has resulted in residents being kept in the dark for too long.” She also sent her support to council staff, saying they had worked diligently throughout this tumultuous period. Minister Horne had cited concerns regarding poor governance and conduct when she appointed Mr Stephenson to the council as a second municipal monitor in May. In 2021, then-Mayor Chris Raeburn and council CEO Julie Salomon had written to Minister Horne requesting a municipal monitor be installed, which led to the appointment of Ms Dore, the council’s first municipal monitor. To read the monitor’s report, visit: localgovernment.vic.gov.au/council-governance/independent-reports.

Strathbogie Shire suspended

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