There are definitely very strange goings on in the Assembly of Councillors. We highlight only a handful:
- Meeting of 13th September
- Tang arrived nearly two hours late
- Various officers’ reports which haven’t been tabled in council meetings
- Fiddling with the previous minutes (again) – Hyams’ suggestions mostly. One especially interesting one concerns an ‘Occupational Health & Safety’ (bullying?) where the previous ‘record’ had simply stated that Penhalluriack left the room. Hyams’ wanted this altered to Penhalluriack declaring a conflict of interest and then leaving.
- 4 of the 6 officers walk out when an OH & S issue is being discussed. Later another one leaves. Bladder problems really strike at this point and the comings and goings are like a revolving door. Interestingly, no-one declared a conflict of interest!
2. Meeting of 20th September
- Tang’s there on time!
- Again, when OH & S is discussed all but one officer leave the room. No declaration of conflict of interest.
3. Meeting of 27th September
- GESAC basketball discussions get an ‘update’ from Hyams
- Forge mentions council ‘representation’ at a Department Planning Review Meeting
- Again 4 officers walk out (2 remain) when the OH & S issue comes up. No conflict of interest declared.
- Regulations for Local Government Act discussed. These regulations contain information on registers of interests and council and special committees.
- There is then discussion on Special Committee and again OH & S
COMMENTS
After nearly 4 months, and a Request for a Report, nothing has yet appeared before council on the GESAC basketball allocations – yet the Warriors website continues to splash the council logo!!!
Council’s submission (reported in the Melbourne Bayside Leader) has yet to make it into the public domain and to be presented at a full council meeting. According to this newspaper it appears as if Esakoff signed off (as she did with the VEAC submission) rather than the CEO.
Obviously the Special Committee was discussed and set up in secret. No minutes as yet, no delegations as yet, and no terms of reference have been made public. Nor any reason provided as to why Penhalluriack is not a member of this committee!
OH & S features regularly. One strange sentence in these documents was the linking of OH& S AND ‘APPRAISAL matters’. Appraisal of what and whom, we ask? And why should these two items be linked?
Our conclusion – what a strange, strange council we have!
Glen Eira Debates 
October 8, 2011 at 8:42 AM
One of the reasons that CEO’s get paid 300k + is that they expect to cop a few whacks and have to to deal with difficult situations and people behaving in a difficult manner. It appears that the Glen Eira CEO wants all the money as well as the protection of laws that were introduced to look after people that do not have the facilities to stop bullying. Imagine the look on the faces of the board of BHP if their CEO told them he was being bullied by one of the board members. They would quickly work out the had the wrong person in the job. Complex situations arise and when you pay people big dollars you expect them to deal with whatever arises. Even the board of an unlisted company expects their CEO to be a little bit robust. No one has been bullied. One councillor may have put his views more forcefully than others. That is not bullying. The CEO needs to go into a school yard or do a spell in the army to get an understanding of what bullying is about. He would then understand why the laws were introduced. A CEO is expected to have leadership qualities. This one appears to be falling short of the mark. Good reason to get a replacement.
October 8, 2011 at 10:17 AM
This is a good take on corporate bosses. If they can’t stand the heat then they should really get out of the kitchen and not waste thousands and thousands of our dollars on lawyers and investigations. Taking it a bit further you have to think about the rest of the councillors and why they put up with this behaviour. They’ve voted in all this stuff, so they’re as culpable as the ceo in wasting funds. You’d think that they would have learnt already. Plenty of councils have got rid of their ceos in recent times. It’s not that hard to do.
October 8, 2011 at 10:49 AM
Interesting to note that there is nothing on the Pools Steering Committee Meetings in the Agenda. Not a great loss since this committee never provides anything informative. However, it does make one wonder, a $50mill investment scheduled to open in two months time and yet nary a word.
Does this mean that everything is going so swimmingly well that it wasn’t necessary for the committee to meet? Anyone with an ounce of project management knowledge knows this will not be the case. I suppose this will be another example of a looseleaf insert in the agenda.
At the last Council meeting, Penhalluriack asked to attend the next Pools Steering Committee Meeting as an observer. Unfortunately and unbelievably the Pools Steering Committee Chairperson didn’t know when the next meeting was. Penhalluriack’s request was in keeping with his rights as a Councillor and his responsibility to residents. Did he get to attend or not?
October 8, 2011 at 10:54 AM
‘GESAC basketball discussions get an ‘update’ from Hyams’
The Oakleigh Warriors representative teams need a new home. The Glen Eira Warriors Club entered teams at Sandringham next domestic season while the McKinnon Basketball Association keeps growing. Not fair on anyone really.
Hopefully this issue is close to being resolved.
October 8, 2011 at 12:08 PM
What are these buggers hiding? The planning submission should be upfront so that everyone can read what this council is thinking and doing and what they want changed. I’m sick to death of Lipshutz Hyams and others having a go all the time at vcat and not looking in their own back yard. This would tell us exactly what’s going on. I reckon its full of crap and so pro development that theyre too worried to let the cat out of the bag. It’d be catastrophic if residents got wind of the real way they think.
October 8, 2011 at 1:34 PM
Do you seriously think that the people designing the new planning scheme would take any notice of what the either the staff or councillors of the Glen Eira Council think or say. Take this into account when you are going to bed, you can be sure of a good nights sleep.
October 8, 2011 at 2:56 PM
They won’t give a damn. But residents will when they read the crap that Newton has got Esakoff to sign.
October 8, 2011 at 3:23 PM
An employee of our Council formally informs his Employer that he feels he is the victim of bullying by a member of the Board.The fool who wrote the first blog ignores recent $m awards and blames the victim saying that because he is well paid he should be tougher.Let the fool name themselves and volunteer to co-contribute to any payout should the matter not be internally resolved. The fool should realise that dispite how bad this Council is, ( remember 3 lawyers ) they know this situation must be handled professionally and properly. Finally if you think Frank is incapable of wrongdoing then you are far more foolish than I thought.
October 8, 2011 at 3:45 PM
I can only judge as an outsider – just like you Anonymous. Looking in, Penhalluriack’s “crime” has been that he’s asked and demanded responsible answers to questions. None of the answers have been satisfactory. He’s alerted council to health risks and therefore is protecting them from liability. He’s asked about money being spent willy nilly without enough analysis and cost effectiveness to warrant such huge amounts of money being spent. He’s also cared enough about the racecourse and the people he represents to try and make a difference. To my way of thinking that’s heaps more than other councillors have ever done. If that’s your version of a crime and bullying then you definitely belong in the Andrew Newton school of wimps and wolf crying. It’s also really funny that many of the past elected councillors were also claimed to be bullies by Newton. We must be the capitol of bullies in victoria then. The more plausible explanation is that there’s something very amiss with the ceo don’t you think?
October 8, 2011 at 6:06 PM
Big difference between sexual harrasment and bullying. I have yet to hear of bullying cases paying out millions. Never seen a bloke get a payout. Maybe you can quote a few. Stick to your day job in the town hall.
October 8, 2011 at 4:50 PM
Each of these records of assembly, apart from the respective agenda items, tells us exactly how much goes on behind closed doors and how little ever gets into the public arena. This isn’t what the municipal inspector had in mind I’m sure. It also leaves very little doubt that decisions themselves are constantly made in these meetings – again contrary to what should be happening.
October 8, 2011 at 5:18 PM
Colin Do you really believe what you are saying? .I have read what has been written about this situation of Bullying , but nowhere have I read that” Crime has been that he’s asked and demanded responsible answers to question” As far as I know no one has made the nature of the complaint public. Colin unless you have more informed information then one could easily question your view of what has lead to the Bullying accusation.
October 8, 2011 at 6:07 PM
I know as much as you! Read between the lines and the truth will arise. Why is Penhalluriack charged with bullying? The simple answer is that he keeps showing up Newton and the officers, and he does it in public. Doesn’t look too good does it when someone wants facts and figures instead of the usual drivel that is presented as officers’ reports or when a councillor has to beg the audit committee for months and months to investigate something that could be potentially really harmful to people. That’s when you bring out the big guns like bullying and try to discredit the poor bloke. It’s not the first time either that Newton has operated this way. Check out the Walsh report. If you know any more than this or can refute this logic then please be my guest. I’m all ears.
October 8, 2011 at 8:29 PM
Hi Colin,
I was wondering if you could help me out because I’m trying to read between the lines so the truth will arise too.
Have you go any idea as to why am I being threatend by Councillors with Harrassment.
What would prompt Concillors to issue a threat like this on myself, just as Cr Penhalluriack is similarly being threatened with?
October 8, 2011 at 9:17 PM
This bullying accusation has gone on for long enough. Isn’t it time Council made a statement – denial or admission? If its admission, could Council please advise how much this has cost in legal fees.
While answering the above, wouldn’t it also be good to know why the GSAC basketball allocations are taking so long to resolve and what the legal cost is?
Frankly, I consider my rates should be spent on services to residents and the disadvantaged rather than internal squabbles and/or admin ph*ck ups.
October 9, 2011 at 10:19 AM
Maybe this is Newtons last ploy, he knows he is gone as the CEO, and his severance pay will be a huge payout for being bullied in his work place.
October 9, 2011 at 8:54 PM
Read today’s Sunday Age about Bullying allegations against Jeff Kennett made by Beyond Blues former CEO.She will be paid out millions if she initiates action. Same as our CEO.Ask yourself why a certain Councillor has been removed from an employment process. I can tell you the reason and it ain’t because he did nothing. Fools