MULLETS FOR MUNZ TRIBUTE
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WAVE TO A
TRUCKIE! By JOHN RYAN Trucks keep the food on our table, and pretty much everything else we depend upon to live normal lives in 2021 spends at least some time on the back of a truck. Yet the industry and many truckies feel they’re looked down on and treated as second-class citizens by the rest of the population. Dubbo trucking operator Sally Tipping has founded the ”Wave to a Truckie” campaign and hopes that raising awareness of the difficulties faced by those in the industry will encourage people across Australia to be just a little bit kinder to our freight and delivery drivers. This week Dubbo Photo News showcases some of the local families and identities who have done so much to keep the nation’s wheels rolling. ››PAGE 4
FULL COVERAGE ›› INSIDE
MAYOR CALLS ON ICAC TO INVESTIGATE ISSUES By NATALIE LEWIS
ALLEGATIONS of councillor misconduct at Dubbo Regional Council will be made public, according to Mayor Stephen Lawrence, who plans to report wrongdoings to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) before he leaves office in December. Cr Lawrence spoke with Dubbo Photo News following Monday’s September ordinary meeting where it was revealed that the findings of an independent
investigation by Pinnacle Integrity into council’s Code of Conduct would not yet be reported to the community. The report was tabled for public release but has been delayed by the need to seek specialist legal advice. Acting upon this guidance, council has now submitted a proposal to the Office of Local Government to release a redacted copy of the report in the near future, hopefully before the October ordinary meeting.
“I understand that people want the report released,” Cr Lawrence said. “But we are not yet in a position to release the report. The report has to be redacted and can’t be released.” The report addresses how council’s Code of Conduct process went awry, and as such, the organisation has amended its councillor and staff interaction policy along with lodgement of annual disclosure of interest returns. When it’s released, Cr Lawrence said “the community will get an
understanding of how the Code of Conduct failed and in what ways it was mishandled”. “What they won’t get is what the allegations were that were mishandled and who they were made against and who got the benefit from gross misconduct.” To address allegations made against individuals, the investigation needs to be moved into a different phase, according to NSW legislation. “The independent investigators were brought in to investigate
the processes of council’s Code of Conduct,” Cr Lawrence explained. “That’s why I’m calling for a public investigation by ICAC to look into serious systemic issues. ICAC is the only body with sufficient power to provide that. “Only a public ICAC investigation will restore public confidence in council and its processes. “My commitment to the community is that I will not leave office in December until I have done everything possible to make that happen,” Cr Lawrence said.
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