Vol. No. Vol. 2018No. 45 27
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Wednesday, January 13, 2018 2016 Wednesday, May 23,
CALLING ALL CUBERS: Horsham West Primary School teacher Michelle Watson is working on plans to bring a speedcubing competition to Horsham later this year. Pictured with speedcubing enthusiast Eric Zhu and other pupils from the school, Ms Watson hopes Speedcubing Australia delegates will travel to Horsham for an event tentatively scheduled for August 25, pending confirmation from World Cubing Association. Speedcubing is a problemsolving sport involving puzzles such as Rubik’s Cubes. Ms Watson said people keen to find out more about the open-age competition, likely to attract entries from across the state, can call Horsham West and Haven Primary School. Meanwhile, Horsham West pupils are taking part in weekly lunchtime cubing sessions. This edition of The Weekly Advertiser includes a feature celebrating Education Week. See inside. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
Official warning H
BY SARAH SCULLY
orsham mayor Pam Clarke has warned her fellow councillors disrespectful behaviour including personal criticism, intimidation and bullying could result in financial sanctions and police intervention.
Cr Clarke opened Monday night’s meeting by reading a prepared statement. The statement outlined her responsibility to ensure council meetings were run in accordance with the Governance Local Law and incorporated meeting procedure.
Cr Clarke said she believed she had no choice but to remind councillors of their responsibilities – including the councillors code of conduct they committed to in February last year – following an escalation of behaviour she considered an ‘occupational health and safety issue’. Cr Clarke told The Weekly Advertiser several councillors had reported feeling distressed because of intimidating and bullying behaviour in council meetings and councillor briefings. “One councillor says they feel sick every time they have to go into a meeting – that they feel intimidated
and fear they cannot speak out for a fear of being ridiculed,” she said. “Another councillor has previously had to have time off because it was affecting their health. “The fact is it has become an occupational health and safety issue. “Personal comments or criticisms, bulling or intimidation behaviours in any form, will not be tolerated from this point. “From now on, I will be working to ensure we are a place of respect, a place of free-flowing ideas, a place where we debate the issues and do not attack the person.”
Cr Clarke warned councillors any diversion from respectful behaviours would be met with sanctions outlined in Local Law 1. She said the chairperson, in this case herself as mayor, ‘may order an authorised officer or police to remove any person, including a councillor, who disrupts any meeting or otherwise affects the business of the meeting, or fails to comply with a direction’. “Any person – including a councillor – who has been called to order by the chairperson of any meeting and who then fails to comply with the
chairperson’s direction will be guilty of an offence under Local Law – governance, 2016 – for failure to comply with the chairperson’s direction,” she said. “The penalty is 10 penalty units.” Cr Clarke said it was the chairperson’s duty to retain control and order of the meeting, to act impartially and to ensure a smooth passage of business before the meeting, allowing for fair examination of contentious matters. Continued page 3
IN THIS ISSUE • Music festival deadline • ‘Win’ for primary producers • Football-netball coverage Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
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