AUGUST 23, 2017 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
Dancing to own beat
(Marco De Luca)
Students from Hoppers Crossing Secondary College, including Luke, Cassidy, Tamsyn and Min (pictured), will star in the Victorian State Schools Spectacular next month. They will join more than 3000 students on stage for two shows at the Hisense Arena. Sisters Cassidy and Tamsyn, who are in different year levels at the college, said they were both thrilled to be a part of the Schools Spectacular. The college’s State Schools Spectacular co-ordinator Kate Elmer said the school’s students would take part in a feature dance during the spectacular. “We believe this is an invaluable opportunity for our students, with them being one of the only whole school groups to dance on the main stage and the only group to create their own choreography,” Ms Elmer said. The Schools Spectacular will be held at 1pm and 6.30pm on Saturday September 16. Tickets: Adult $40, concession $30, under-15s $20 (plus booking fee). Details: 132 849 or ticketek.com.au Alesha Capone
Khan faces nine charges By Charlene Macaulay Wyndham councillor Intaj Khan has been charged with nine offences for failing to disclose all his business and property interests in his register of interest returns. The Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate last week announced Cr Khan had been charged with three counts of failing to disclose companies in which he held office during the return period; three counts of failing to disclose companies in which he held a financial interest; two counts of failing to submit ordinary returns; and one count of failing to disclose property holdings. The charges relate to returns filed between February, 2016, and February, 2017.
Cr Khan will front Werribee Magistrate’s Court on September 27 for an initial hearing. If found guilty of all nine charges, he could face fines of more than $85,000. The Local Government Act 1989 requires individual councillors to lodge returns – which detail property holdings, board positions and the like – every six months while they are in office. This is to ensure councillors declare any conflicts of interest. Speaking exclusively to Star Weekly last week, Cr Khan questioned why the matter needed to be heard in court. He said the council should have issued him with reminders in the lead-up to return deadlines. But former councillors Marie Brittan and Glenn Goodfellow, who served alongside
Cr Khan during the previous council’s term, said council staff gave councillors several reminders. Cr Khan is likely to retain his position as a councillor even if convicted of the charges. Section 29 of the Local Government Act, which details grounds for disqualification, does not include disqualification for a councillor convicted of breaching section 81 of the act, which relates to the filing of returns. Many residents took to the Wyndham Star Weekly Facebook last week calling for Cr Khan to be suspended or stood down. Colin wrote: “It’s an absolute disgrace that he is allowed to remain an elected member of the council.” Chief municipal inspector David Wolf
said this matter was separate to the recent interviews conducted by the inspectorate with the majority of candidates in the 2016 Wyndham council election. A report into that investigation is expected in coming weeks. “The inspectorate has additional matters in the final stages of investigation, which will conclude shortly. These matters do not relate to the elected councillors,” he said. Wyndham chief executive Kelly Grigsby said the council would continue to work with the inspectorate. “All of the charges relate to matters for which each individual councillor has responsibility,” she said. ■ Q&A
with Cr Khan: Pages 10-11