PREMIER Daniel Andrews hoped to be the hero when he intervened in this week’s council-sacking debacle. What should have been a PR dream was nothing short of a nightmare.
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The state government has been tough on local councils since coming to power almost two years ago. It has toughened up a councillor code of conduct and hit councils in the hip pockets by capping their revenue from rates.
The government’s aim in beefing up the code was designed to rein in renegade councillors who do more damage than good.
But the Local Government Inspectorate’s recommendation that 107 councillors and 13 councils, including Moyne Shire, be sacked for what has only been described as administrative breaches in the signing of the code and subsequent bungling, has undermined the approach.
For the inspectorate to recommend such action without giving councils a reason or even a hearing was unfair.
Were clear guidelines given to councils for the signing of the code? Apparently not.
When anything is new, the common sense approach is generally to educate, not punish minor issues. But the naming and shaming of those in breach was all about sending a loud and clear message to councils that the watchdog was serious.
The message has no doubt been received but at what cost to councils’ reputations?
With councils set to go to the polls in October, the government would have been foolish to let councils be sacked. The cost of finding and then employing administrators in place of councillors for what would have been about a month would have been a waste of time, money and effort.
The smarter way to go about it was to publicise the breach after due process, including an opportunity for councils to defend themselves, and then let ratepayers decide at the polls.
When the premier announced no councils would be sacked and legislative amendments made, instead of taking the heat out of the issue, he stoked the fire of discontent by lecturing councils they needed to get their houses in order.
Moyne mayor Colin Ryan was livid and the councils’ peak group, the Municipal Association of Victoria, was aggrieved, saying the government should have introduced clearer guidelines,
For the government to say councils needed the wake up call was like the pot calling the kettle black.
