DISGRUNTLED Moyne Shire ratepayers have again written to Premier Ted Baillieu and cabinet members seeking an investigation into outstanding issues stemming back more than 10 years.
In an open letter sent this week, the Moyne Residents and Ratepayers Action Group called for a probe into the council’s conduct and a forensic check of accounts.
“We believe there has been a history of errors and omissions going back for years and people and some businesses have suffered as a result,” the letter says.
It follows another letter to the Premier and cabinet which was handed to senior MPs who attended community cabinet meetings in Warrnambool district a year ago.
As yet the group has not received a written response and has sent other letters to MPs and government departments. “We will continue to inform these people of the serious issues that led to the formation of the group and why action should be taken by the Victorian government and its departments to make sure that real justice is done,” group president Gillian Blair wrote.
The letter highlights a recent Supreme Court decision which dismissed Tarrone farmer Pierre Johnson’s long-running claim against Moyne Shire and ordered him to pay the shire’s legal costs of about $750,000.
It describes the case as “an example of what happens when people give up on a case because they view it as too complex because they have not read through the issues and investigated the problems”.
“The case would not have been too hard to solve if the majority of present and previous councillors for Moyne Shire had had the courage to investigate a range of matters for themselves and had read the issues and visited the farm in question,” the letter says.
“Some have refused point blank to become involved in this or other cases.
“This leads our members to ask: what did these councillors imagine their responsibilities would entail when they nominated themselves for the job of councillor?
“Mr Johnson’s case is one of several that involve possible council mistakes and non-compliance with planning laws.”
The Supreme Court decision handed down on September 7 found the shire had done nothing wrong in the issue of opening up an unused lane on his property linking paddocks owned by a neighbour.
pcollins@standard.fairfax.com.au