JANUARY 18, 2017 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
Bayside is place to be Wyndham will celebrate Australia Day by the bay this year. The council is calling for a large crowd at Wyndham Harbour from 5pm on January 26 to enjoy live music, food trucks, carnival rides, market stalls, a display of classic cars and a screening of Blinky Bill: The Movie, followed by the Australian Open men’s semi-final. The event will wrap up with a fireworks display over the marina at sunset. One-year-old Harrison, pictured, is already getting into the true blue spirit. For more information, go to www. wyndham.vic.gov.au/australiaday
(Shawn Smits)
Charlene Macaulay
Election probe into Khan By Royce Millar, Adem Saban and Ben Schneiders One of Victoria’s richest local politicians is under investigation over an October council election campaign during which he ran dummy candidates with bogus enrolment addresses and false occupations. Details of the campaign run by Wyndham councillor and Labor figure Intaj Khan were exposed at the weekend after a joint investigation by Star Weekly and The Sunday Age. One candidate claimed to head a disability
Wyndham council chief executive Kelly Grigsby said: “Voter confidence in the election process is vital, and anything that calls into question the integrity of the election itself or those elected warrants an urgent and thorough investigation. “Wyndham council is committed to ensuring that our governance practices are in keeping with community expectations. “We strongly support this matter being investigated by the appropriate agency, which in this instance is the Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate.”
charity not registered with the federal regulator. On Sunday, chief municipal inspector David Wolf confirmed the Victorian Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate is “investigating matters related to Wyndham Council, including electoral matters”. He said there would be no comment on specifics while the investigation is ongoing. Star Weekly understands the inspectorate has extended an existing investigation into Cr Khan and his property interests, launched in September, to include his re-election campaign.
Ms Grigsby said it was important to note the council has no legislative power to investigate or sanction parties in relation to electoral matters. The council’s role, she said, is to provide any information requested from the Inspectorate, and implement its recommendations. When questioned about possible ramifications if the issues raised were found to be true in an official investigation, a spokesman for local government minister Natalie Hutchins declined to comment. ■ Continued:
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