Citizen volunteer dumped

By Rebecca Fraser
A FORMER City of Casey Citizen of the Year claims he was given the boot as a council volunteer after six years of unpaid community service.
Murray MacGregor said he had offered his services at Casey Council since 1999, driving disabled people to community programs once a week, and picking them up and taking them home afterwards.
The 78-year-old Endeavour Hills resident said on two occasions he received telephone calls from the community facility saying the intellectually disabled person he was driving had experienced a seizure and had already been taken home sick.
Mr MacGregor said he then telephoned Casey Council in a bid to find out the nature of the person’s condition and raise some related safety concerns.
“When I found out he had gone home again I started to get worried and wanted to know what sort of seizures they were having.
“I was worried about transporting him and wanted a rough idea of what to do if something happened while we were in the car.
“I was with St John Ambulance for 16 years and I wanted to know if it was something I would be able to treat or something more serious than that.
“They (council) said just call an ambulance but I said I did not have a mobile.”
In the process of asking these questions Mr MacGregor said he had disclosed the name of the disabled person and other details to the council officer.
He was then subsequently called into the Casey Council offices and told he had breached Casey Council’s Code of Conduct for staff and volunteers by talking about the customer’s private details without their consent.
“I have been volunteering for more than 56 years and I have never had a slap on the wrists,” he said.
Mr MacGregor, who was Citizen of the Year in 1998 and the City of Greater Dandenong’s non-resident of the year in 2000, said he felt that this was an example of red tape and bureaucracy getting out of hand.
He said he is now in the process of lodging a complaint with Local Government Minister Candy Broad following last year’s dismissal and received advice from Casey Cardinia Legal Service.
The service wrote to Casey CEO Mike Tyler and Casey director of community services Jennie Lee but was told last month that the matter was closed.
City of Casey chief executive officer Mike Tyler said Mr MacGregor had acted inappropriately by breaching the Council Code of Conduct.
“While council deeply appreciates the services of all our many volunteers, our volunteers are required to comply with the Privacy Act and uphold client confidentiality provisions.”
“A meeting was held with Mr MacGregor to outline the seriousness of the breach and its consequences.”
“Mr MacGregor was given the opportunity to resign, and did so.”
“Out of respect for Mr MacGregor, council will make no further comment on the matter,” Mr Tyler said.