“Bullying” rocks council

INFIGHTING between South Gippsland Shire councillors exploded at last Wednesday’s council meeting, with claims of bullying, intimidation and calls for yet another panel hearing to investigate an alleged breach of the councillors code of conduct.

Cr Nigel Hutchinson-Brooks accused Cr Andrew McEwen of bullying over pressuring other councillors to side with his views over coal seam gas and said he would call for a panel to investigate the matter.

Cr McEwen counterattacked by claiming Cr Hutchinson-Brooks’ comments were actually bulling him and had breached the conduct code.

Two panel hearings are already expected to cost council $60,000, with a panel finding Cr Don Hill had shown disrespect to councillors and council staff, and misled the community – a finding he has appealed to the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to overturn – and Cr Jim Fawcett the subject of a panel requested by Cr Hill. The outcome of the second hearing is not yet known.

Last Wednesday’s meeting was tipped to be fiery, with council debating the panel finding against Cr Hill and also questioning the legitimacy of his using a council photocopier to print what some councillors claimed was a personal newsletter at a cost to council of $1047.75.

Cr Hutchinson-Brooks’ concerns with Cr McEwen arose from a notice of motion from councillors McEwen, Hill and Kieran Kennedy asking council to write to the Victorian Government requesting all land in the shire be exempt from coal and coal seam gas exploration via a bill in parliament.

Cr Hutchinson-Brooks was angered by an email Cr McEwen sent on Friday, February 26, in response to the Coal and CSG Free Mirboo North Group thanking all councillors for unanimously carrying a motion at the February 24 council meeting. That motion directed council to advise the government it supported a ban on the unconventional gas industry in Victoria until it could be demonstrated the impacts would not adversely affect the environment, economy or community.

Cr McEwen emailed in response, “It is a victory to all of the people who have had the courage to speak out for the common good. Cr Hill and I will be move (sic) for a full exemption CSG and coal exploration in South Gippsland in the April meeting of council.

“In an election year it is amazing at the transformation of some our reluctant Councillors. We will give them an opportunity to stand up for the ongoing protection of our area through an amendment to exempt south Gippsland form (sic) activities in the mining act.”

Cr Hutchinson-Brooks told council that implied other councillors had not spoken for the common good, which he said was not true.

“It is Cr McEwen who mentions the election year again to denigrate his fellow councillors by innuendo, that they have changed their minds because of the coming election. This is sheer calumny and hypocrisy,” he said.

Cr Hutchinson-Brooks said Cr Hill hijacked others’ work “to make himself look good, as evidenced in the so called Tarwin Valley Ward Newsletter recently written and published by him”.

He said the motion by councillors McEwen, Hill and Kennedy at last Wednesday’s meeting was “devious and manipulating” in trying to coerce other councillors to support them.

Cr Hutchinson-Brooks said councillors McEwen and Hill had bullied other councillors by putting them down and spreading false rumours about them.

Cr Hutchinson-Brooks said he would be lodging a formal complaint under the Councillor Code of Conduct “for the blatant bullying” contained within the emails.

Cr Kennedy called a point of order, saying Cr Hutchinson-Brooks’ views were a personal attack and off topic to cries of “hear, hear” from the gallery.

Mayor Cr Bob Newton asked Cr Hutchinson-Brooks to refrain from personalising his debate.

Cr McEwen said he counted at least 12 personal insults to himself in Cr Hutchinson-Brooks’ comments and “not one substantive argument against the motion”.

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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on May 3 2016. Filed under Featured, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry