By Cam Lucadou-Wells
State Upper House MPs have failed in an 11th-hour push to reduce the time that Casey Council was without democratically-elected councillors.
On 18 February, the State Government rushed through its Bill to sack Casey councillors and install administrators until October 2024.
In its way was Clifford Hayes, of Sustainable Australia Party, who moved an amendment for Casey Council elections in October 2021.
“I’m not one for sacking councils but Casey Council should be sacked. Its credibility is totally shot,” Mr Hayes told Parliament.
However, Mr Hayes’s “proviso” was that elections were held as quickly as possible. It was “undemocratic” to keep administrators for “years and years without reason”.
Municipal Monitor Laurinda Gardner’s report found the council’s management and day-to-day functions were “operating to a high standard”, Mr Hayes said.
“The failures are isolated to councillors, some of whom have been completely corrupted by their pursuit of wealth.
“Why on Earth would we need almost five years of administration to rectify issues that are isolated to a group of councillors who are set to be sacked anyway?”
Mr Hayes reiterated his call for a ban on political donations from property developers – “the very reason we are in this situation in the first place”.
A shorter administration period was supported by independent Catherine Cumming, Reason Party’s Fiona Patten as well as Greens, Derryn Hinch Justice and Liberal Democrat MPs.
Liberal MP Bruce Atkinson crossed the floor to support an alternative amendment from Dr Cumming for March 2023.
Mr Atkinson said it was “unfair” that councillors who discharged their duties properly were “tarred” by being part of a dismissed council.
“The fact is that this council, as I said, has been doing a job that has met the standards of any other council.”
He inferred that the “extraordinary” time without democratically-elected councillors may be linked to Local Government Minister Adem Somyurek recently “bragging” about the numbers of new Labor recruits in Casey.
Mr Somyurek decried the “absolutely outrageous” and “grubby tactic” by Mr Atkinson. He said he’d moved to sack councillors with a “heavy heart”.
“When it comes to the matter of good people being sacked, absolutely my heart goes out to councillors that have been sacked, that have done nothing wrong.
“Their reputations have been tarnished. It is absolutely unfair; I get that.”
Mr Somyurek said he’d taken the “unorthodox” step of meeting Casey mayor Susan Serey and Crs Wayne Smith and Gary Rowe on 17 February at their request.
“They put up some good arguments as to why they should not be sacked.
“The only commitment I gave them was that I would pass on their arguments to the cabinet… which I did.”
He said the trio were “good people”, describing Cr Serey as being a “very energetic, very smart mayor” with a “bright future”.
The Government believed a “lengthy break” was required to “embed good governance” and to restore public trust, he said.
Mr Somyurek left it open for elections to be held sooner than 2024.
“The Department will be in touch with the administrators on an ongoing basis.
“If we can get local democracy back sooner, that should be celebrated and we will do it.”
In supporting the Government, Upper House Opposition Leader David Davis said the Coalition preferred an earlier date, but 2021 was too soon given that IBAC’s inquiry was ongoing.
Making “multiple different dates and so forth on the run is probably not the way to go”, Mr Davis said.
“We believe that there should be a decent period where the council is out – 2023 or somewhere thereabouts would be a more sensible time in our view.”
