2 August 2016

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Western Port

Weste rn Port

realestate 2 August 2016

Dream no more > Page 3

Your guide to what’s on this weekend for peninsula families 0RUQLQJWR Q 3HQLQVXOD

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Tuesday day 2 August 2016 6

5973 6424 or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au Healthy teeth message: The Tooth Fairy, Lola the Molar and oral health therapist Hafize Coskun; front pupils Max, Evie and Ella. Picture: Gary Sissons

Brushing daily to keeps cavities at bay LOLA the Molar and the Tooth Fairy explained to Western Port primary School children how important it was for them to care for their teeth in this week’s Oral Health Week. They and Hastings Family Dental Care oral health therapist Hafize Coskun visited seven schools to share tooth tips and distribute healthy showbags. Pupils from Hastings, Wallaroo, Tyabb, Tyabb Railway, Somers, Crib Point and Moorooduc primaries got the message – and had fun at the same time.

Shire part of ‘secrecy’ probe Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au THE Victorian Ombudsman has interviewed Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Graham Pittock, CEO Carl and governance manager Joe Spiteri as part of an investigation into secrecy in local government. Complaints about the shire have been made to the Ombudsman’s office by several individuals and communitybased organisations. The Ombudsman Deborah Glass an-

nounced in March that she was making an “own motion� investigation into Victorian municipalities after receiving complaints. “Secrecy in local government can create conditions in which improper conduct and poor administration can flourish,� Ms Glass said. “It also fuels suspicions of wrongdoing and erodes community trust. “Members of the public who complain to my office about council decisions occasionally mention the fact that decisions were made behind

closed doors or in secret as evidence to support their concerns.â€? The Ombudsman’s visit closely followed the shire’s adoption of a code of conduct which makes it an offence for councillors to “malign or criticiseâ€? each other “for the manner in which they exercise their vote in councilâ€?. One councillor who did not want to be named for fear of contravening the code, said that particular rule was “unbelievable ‌ it is just appalling ‌ I couldn’t believe it was happeningâ€?. Councillors were required to sign

the code – which was adopted by a 6:4 vote on 6 June – within one month or face disqualification and being banned from seeking re-election. Under the code councillors are also barred from speaking publicly on matters “stamped confidential or which appear to be confidential�. The councillor said the code “is shutting down debate and transparency�. The councillor said the wording for the code of conduct came from the shire’s “old fashioned style� governance department and some “fiddling to get what they

want� by some councillors. An example of the governance department’s “style� was an unsuccessful move earlier this year to “truncate� the time allotted to public questions at council meetings. Ms Glass said there were more complaints to her office about local government than any other area. In 2014-15 her office dealt with 3410 local government issues, with at least one complaint coming from within each of the state’s 79 municipalities. Continued Page 5

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