Established in 2003
proudly serving the Northern Suburbs
19 DECEMBER, 2023
12496404-AV22-21
FREE DIGITAL EDITION
SIG N U P N O W!
Merry Christmas, everyone! As excited kids across the west eagerly count down the days until Santa visits, preps from Braybrook’s Dinjerra Primary School are soaking up the last days of their first year of school by enjoying Christmas themed activities, inattentive to the rush of last-minute preparations as the holiday draws closer. As the end of 2023 draws near, the team at Star Weekly would like to wish our readers and advertisers a Merry Christmas and safe and happy 2024. The first edition of the new year will be published on January 9. The office will reopen on January 2.
Dinjerra Primary School preps: Florencia, Marianne and Tobias. (Damjan Janevski) 378530_02
Misconduct ‘shambles’ By Tara Murray Hume council has conceded it wouldn’t have started disciplinary action against councillor Trevor Dance had there been clarity around the meaning of ’serious misconduct’ under the Local Government Act. At the December 11 council meeting, councillors voted to write to Local Government Victoria and the local government minister providing a transcript of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court proceedings, following the council’s decision to drop its legal action into whether Cr Dance had committed serious misconduct. Cr Dance and councillor Jodi Jackson both
voted against writing letters. As previously reported by Star Weekly, Cr Dance was cleared of serious misconduct by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in December 2022, after a Councillor Code of Conduct Panel (CCP) had earlier found that he was responsible for serious misconduct. The CCP had found Cr Dance breached council’s internal arbitration process by failing to attend two arbitration hearings in June 2021, in relation to his allegations that councillor Jack Medcraft had made false and misleading statements. Cr Dance had cited his mental health for his inability to attend the hearings in person.
With thousands of projects completed nationwide,
Hume appealed the VCAT decision at the Court of Appeal. It withdrew its action in August during the hearing when the judges of the Court of Appeal indicated that non-attendance by a complainant at a CCP arbitration was not necessarily serious misconduct as defined in the Local Government Act. At the December 11 meeting, in their report council officers highlighted Court of Appeal Justice David Beach’s views relating to the definition of serious misconduct as defined by the act. Officers advised councillors that had the court’s definition been commonly understood at the start of the process, that CCP would not
have been convened in December 2021. “Officers form this view, as the effect of the interpretation as discussed at the appeal would mean no sanctions should apply to a councillor who initiates an arbitration process, and then does not comply with it,” officers wrote. Officers said the court’s view “further supports there are issues with the legislation”. “This view complements already acknowledged concerns regarding the legislative framework and its ability to manage councillor conduct matters in a timely and efficient manner. ■ Continued: Page 2. ■ Continued: Page 8.
Concept to Clean-up, you can rely on us! “5 star plus delivery of service in a timely manner.”
Your trusted Home Improvement Specialists!
Satisfaction Guarantee
12589482-KG09-23
CDB-L 48045, CB-L 32244
Carports • Pergolas • Decks • Shade Structures
1800 601 674 • info@outsideconcepts.net.au • www.outsideconcepts.net.au
Obligation free quote