Vol. 20 18 No. No. 1 27 Vol.
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HISTORIC MOMENT: Saints leaders, from left, Tara Jasper, Katie Morris and Coco Ledgar embrace the inaugural Deakin University Female Football League premiership cup. For more on the Saints’ win, see page 35. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
‘What a circus’
H
BY SARAH SCULLY
orsham Rural City councillor Mark Radford has expressed his disappointment at a lack of respect among councillors while attempting to rectify an issue he labelled ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’.
At a meeting on Monday night, Cr Radford moved to rescind a decision made on June 19 about the council’s official position on a future Western Highway bypass route around the city. Crs Radford and Josh Koenig, Mayor Pam Clarke and chief executive Peter Brown were at a local government conference in Canberra and did not attend the meeting. On June 19, Cr Robinson success-
IN THIS ISSUE
fully moved to advise Roads Minister Luke Donnellan and Planning Minister Richard Wynne that the council’s position on the bypass remained unchanged from September 7, 2015, ‘in that we do not accept option D for reasons already stated’. The councillors voted 2-2, with Cr David Grimble, who chaired the meeting, passing the motion with his casting vote. Cr Radford on Monday night said his biggest issue with the decision was not bypass related, but process related. Reading aloud from an email he wrote after learning what happened, Cr Radford said: “What a circus. I thought this might happen, but I convinced myself on Sunday, no they would never do that. But they have.
“Over the past eight months there has been a series of hijinks, both inside and in public, which have been most disappointing.” Cr Radford said his email contained some comments about the tail wagging the dog, before finishing with: “This is not how our great council operates.” He said he believed there had been ‘a distinct lack of respect among councillors, against councillors and against officers’. “In my mind, this is the straw that’s broken the camel’s back,” he said. “I would say to the councillors tonight, and the members of the public who have come to see them, this is not how our great council operates.” Cr Radford said Cr Robinson’s
notice of motion was unnecessary, because the council had already informed the Department of Land, Water and Planning it would present a preferred position on the bypass in July. “I don’t think it was fair to the councillors who weren’t given a fair and reasonable time to understand what they were voting on,” he said. Cr Sedgman, who supported the motion to rescind, said she voted against Cr Robinson’s motion because she felt any decision on the bypass should be made by the majority of councillors, rather than two. “I do not appreciate the methodology that occurred thus far and I seek that it be rectified from now on,” she said.
“We need to stand as a united front that represents our community in good faith and governance, not division.” But Cr Robinson argued the council meeting was lawfully constituted and contained a quorum. “The reason we were placed in this position was despite the chief executive advising that he would advise the minister’s delegate of our position, this council as of June 19 had no information that requirement had been met,” he said. “I had no option but to raise this issue and the acting council chairman, Cr David Grimble, had no option but to accept the motion. Continued page 3
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