Rural Councils Victoria has welcomed an announcement by Minister for Local Government Melissa Horne to introduce legislation early in the new year designed to elevate governance and integrity standards in the state’s 79 councils.
Rural Councils Victoria Chair Cr Mary-Ann Brown said:
“The vast majority of local councillors are decent, hard-working representatives for their communities but a few bad apples who behave in a bullying or outrageous manner are undermining public and the State Government’s confidence in the whole sector.
“With more than 30 councillors resigning since the beginning of 2023 and municipal monitors appointed more than eight times, it is clear that something needs to be done urgently.
“Rural Councils Victoria has held meetings with the Minister to discuss issues such as good governance, training for new councillors and a strong statewide code of conduct for councillors that holds those who bully or otherwise abuse their positions to account.
“Sacking a whole council to manage the bad behaviours of one individual goes too far, which is why RCV welcomes ministerial powers to address individual councillor misconduct and discourage poor behaviour.”
The Minister’s announcement said:
Reforms will give the Minister the ability to suspend or disqualify individual councillors found to have created a risk to health and safety or prevented the council from performing its function.
The Chief Municipal Inspector will also have enhanced powers, including the ability to issue infringement notices.
Rural Councils Victoria Chair Cr Mary-Ann Brown said:
“RCV welcomes these powers to deal with individuals and we look forward to consulting with the minister and her department to help ensure that Victoria gets the best possible results for their communities and councils.
“It is important to encourage quality candidates to put themselves forward at local government elections to be held across the state in October next year.
“We want councils to be diverse and reflective of their communities, bad behaviour only serves to deter people from engaging with local government.
“Becoming a councillor is a significant commitment and can be challenging at times. We welcome efforts to provide greater support and training for new councillors so they will be able to better serve their communities.
“The proposed changes strike a good balance between encouraging high standards of behavior and providing avenues to deal with poor behaviour.”