Media release from council, Wednesday 1/9/2010
Investigation makes recommendations
Glen Eira City Council has now officially received the findings of a Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate (Inspectorate) investigation into the Council.
The Inspectorate investigated complaints about the Council and individual Councillors. The Inspectorate also investigated complaints about the performance of Council officers. The investigation found no prosecutable breaches, but made a number of recommendations to improve business practice and the community’s perception of Council. In relation to Council officers, the investigation made no adverse findings and no recommendations. The first complaint was received in November 2009. Of 43 complaints received, both prior to and subsequent to the investigation being made public, 27 were investigated.
The recommendations include comprehensive Councillor training, ensuring consistency in the accuracy of minutes of all meetings, electronic mail procedures, ensuring committees are properly constituted and the need to avoid unauthorised opinion on behalf of Council.
Other than the recommendations made, the Inspectorate has determined that no further action is warranted in relation to the complaints. It is apparent that a number of complaints were dismissed as there was no evidence to support a breach of the act.
To the extent that the Inspector had concerns with councillors’ accountability and transparency, they related to conduct concerning the CEO reappointment process and contract that properly took place confidentially. There was no suggestion that the Council or councillors were improperly concealing any activities or deliberations from the public, rather that proper records had not been kept.
The functions of the Inspectorate include:
- breaches of the Local Government Act 1989
- Investigating allegations against councillors and senior council officers concerning Local Government Act 1989
- Conducting compliance audits with all Victorian local councils for requirements under the Local Government Act, 1989
- Monitoring the corporate governance of councils
- Monitoring electoral provisions
- Undertaking prosecutions for breaches of the Local Government Act;
- Recommendations for matters to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)
- Provide recommendations to councils for continuous improvement
- Providing advice through the Secretary of the Department of Planning and Community Development to the Minister for Local Government where there is serious failure of corporate governance.
Glen Eira Debates 
September 1, 2010 at 6:48 PM
Whitewash sounds right. But 42 complaints ain’t chicken feed either. Sounds like there’s heaps of disgruntled residents out there. It’s really time that something permanent was done about this mob.
September 1, 2010 at 8:19 PM
Should be like the AFL – three strikes and you’re supposedly out! Three useless inspections, and three whitewashes. Looks like Whiteside has really come out with egg on her face over all this. Poor sod – Lipshutz can now crow even more loudly.
September 1, 2010 at 9:47 PM
Another great piece of spin from Paul Burke. He really is worth the money they pay him.
And why isn’t the report on the website? The community needs to make their own judgement on this one.
September 1, 2010 at 10:00 PM
Glen Huntly,
apparently at last night’s council meeting there was a motion passed under ‘Urgent Business’, for councillors to go ‘in camera’ and discuss the MI’s report. The minutes aren’t out as yet, so we don’t know the outcome of this private discussion. But we think it’s worth pointing out the fact that such an issue even had to be DISCUSSED!! Why wasn’t there simply a motion passed to release the report immediately? As another reader has written, if it’s good enough for a media release to come out the very next day, then it’s good enough for the actual report to be put up on the website. Enough shilly-shallying from these wobbly kneed councillors!
September 2, 2010 at 1:25 PM
“There was no suggestion that the Council or councillors were improperly concealing any activities or deliberations from the public, rather that proper records had not been kept.”
The report still isn’t up on the website. I have to therefore assume that councillors aren’t ‘improperly concealing’ anything! That their ‘deliberations’ aren’t being kept from the public, even though they take place ‘in camera’.
September 1, 2010 at 9:50 PM
The Glen Eira website must be the worst website of any local government. I’ve been trying to find the media release. Logically one would expect to locate this on the homepage – it is big news after all. Of course it’s not there. What there is, is items about bins, awards, and the misnomer of ‘performance comparisons’ – all intended to make the poor sucker public think how wonderful this council is. Something as important as the Municipal Inspector’s report should be up front, on the home page, not buried under 3 or 4 clicks to get to 2010 media releases.
Then there’s the question about the actual report. Where is it? Why isn’t this also on the front page so that those who are affected by it, those who pay for these bludgers wages, can actually read what the whole issue is about and make their own judgements. If the media release has gone out, then so should the findings be out. If it’s a whitewash that everyone is expecting then I want to read it and see what has been whitewashed.
September 2, 2010 at 10:21 AM
Last sentence of the media release states that copies are available from the service desk. Has anyone rung to see if this is true, or to get one? Good way of gatekeeping anyhow. ASIO would be proud of this lot.