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Early morning freedom THERE’S benefit in an early morning stroll along the beach. The sun’s barely up, children are excited and dogs get to stretch their legs, both in the water and on the sand. Mornington Peninsula Shire’s local laws officers have been out and about warning dog owners about the times they and their pets are allowed on beaches and reminding them of the shire’s many leash-free areas, including beaches and reserves (mornpen.vic.gov.au/Your-Property/ Animals-Pets/Pet-Owner-Info/Leash-freeareas).
Call to open gifts list Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Bryan Payne wants the public to be able to see a register of gifts made to council officers. “I personally agree that the gift register should be available for public inquiry and I will raise that matter with my fellow councillors,” Cr Payne said last week.
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The move for greater transparency around gifts to council officers follows revelations that shire CEO Carl Cowie in July 2016 was a guest aboard a cruise ship hired by prominent businessman and Portsea property owner, Lindsay Fox ("Shire boss on Fox ‘party’ cruise", The News 11/12/17). Mr Cowie says that because the Mediterranean cruise was made at no cost to the shire “it was not required to be placed on the gift register”.
It is understood that Mr Cowie and his wife paid their own airfares to Europe to join the cruise from Athens to Venice during council approved leave. The shire’s Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality policy – an “internal” document “owned” by the CEO - states: “Gifts, benefits and hospitality received must not create a real or perceived sense of obligation that may lead to a perception of preference or conflict.” The policy also states: “Councillors
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and council staff are to ensure that attendance at private functions does not have potential implications for council’s reputation or image or may cause an actual or perceived conflict of interest.” Several other cruise guests, as well as Mr Fox, own valuable property on the peninsula. When first asked about Mr Cowie’s trip last month Cr Payne, who was not a councillor at the time of the 2016 cruise, agreed “it could look like a con-
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flict of interest if it didn’t have council approval”. Cr Bev Colomb, who was a councillor during the previous council term when Mr Cowie joined Mr Fox’s socalled “conception party”, said she had not been “part of an approval process” for the trip. She believed the then mayor, former councillor Graham Pittock, “knew of it, but it wasn't brought to all of us”. Continued Page 12
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