Vol. No. Vol. 2618No. 1727
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Wednesday, October January 25, 13, 2023 2016 Wednesday,
CUP DAY: Horsham Cup Fashions on the Field winner Carly Crouch admires the 2023 Melbourne Cup at Horsham’s major horse race event for the year. The cup was at Horsham Racecourse on Sunday during its tour of Victoria amidst the Spring Racing Carnival season. Jockey Linda Meech won the 2023, $60,000 Horsham Cup with Gai Waterhouse’s Supergirl amid an eight-race card. More pictures, page 56. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
Motion takes turn BY JESSICA GRIMBLE
A
proposal to offer volunteers free parking privileges has erupted into debate about good governance and information at Horsham council’s latest meeting.
Councillor Ian Ross’ notice of motion calling for the council to allow free parking for the Christian Emergency Food Centre and Wimmera Legacy House was ultimately defeated, 2-5, with fellow councillors calling for more advanced warning, time and information to discuss the
proposal and labelling it ‘policy on the run’. It was Cr Ross’ closing remarks alleging council staff had provided false information to councillors and not implemented agreed resolutions and councillors had ignored community sentiment that drove acting chief executive Kevin O’Brien to warn Cr Ross that his comments had breached his councillor code of conduct. “You made comment that the information is incorrect. That is factually unfair and you’re breaching your code of conduct by providing those comments in this chamber,” Mr
O’Brien told Cr Ross. Mr O’Brien told The Weekly Advertiser yesterday the council was considering its options in the wake of the meeting. “Council is currently considering its options and will refer the matter via the councillor conduct framework set out in the Local Government Act, as appropriate,” he said. Cr Ross told Monday’s meeting the council had prior, long-term arrangements with both the food centre and Legacy – which had since lapsed. He noted the food centre had access to carparks behind its Firebrace Street premises, but volunteer num-
bers and clients well surpassed this allocation. He called on councillors to consider the ‘moral and ethical standards’ of their decision-making and asked them to support people in the community to volunteer and-or access services. He said free parking for organisations such as the council and GWMWater fleet vehicles demonstrated an ‘ethical imbalance’. “Morally, I don’t know how we, as a council, can sit here and give free parking for the biggest corporates in town, yet our most disadvantaged
people and those volunteering in our community pay,” he said. “We can’t have the grace in our heart to give them free parking.” Cr Claudia Haenel, speaking in support of the motion, said parking was ‘still the number-one issue’ in the community. “If we’re worried about some community groups having free parking and not others, then just make it right across the board. I’ve always said parking should be free in our CBD,” she said. Continued page 3
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