By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A ratepayers association has called on the State Government to ban Casey’s ‘class of 2016’ councillors from standing in the 2024 elections.
Casey Residents and Ratepayers Association has written to Local Government Minister Melissa Horne, arguing that the ban should apply to the councillors sacked by the Government in 2020 as well as the two who resigned the night before.
The association questioned what councillors knew about what was going on at the council, as later outlined in the IBAC report.
It said if councillors saw “appalling behaviour”, they should have reported it.
“The fact that two councillors evaded being sacked by resigning the night before the announcement of the terminations should not matter…”
The association is seeking clarity on who will be allowed to stand at the local government elections.
“This matter must be finalised as soon as possible as potential candidates are reluctant to nominate knowing that many of the 2016 councillors have a large amount of money to fund their next campaign.”
CRRA secretary Brian Oates confirmed that the association was preparing to run candidates in the October council elections.
In 2020, Casey councillors were sacked in the early stages of the IBAC Operation Sandon inquiry into alleged corrupt deals involving some councillors and property developers.
As reported recently, several ex-councillors are weighing up re-election campaigns.
Former councillor Rex Flannery – who was not named in the IBAC report and resigned prior to the sackings – has said he would run again with a “clear conscience”.
“I was never going to be sacked for something I was never involved in,” he recently stated to Star News.
“IBAC did make contact with me but I could not give them any information as I was unaware of any transactions between certain councillors and the developer.
“Yes I have put my hand up to run for council and I am certainly am not ashamed to be doing so.”
He also told Star News that he would re-consider if some of the councillors ‘named’ by IBAC also stood.
The IBAC inquiry report last year found former Casey mayors Sam Aziz and Geoff Ablett accepted more than $1.15 million in payments and in-kind support from developer John Woodman.
They were found to promote Woodman’s interests in several key planning decisions at Casey without declaring their conflict of interest.
It’s yet to be seen whether any of the ex-councillors will face criminal charges.
Unless convicted beforehand, they would be free to stand for re-election.
Aziz, Ablett and Woodman have denied wrong-doing.
The State Government was contacted for comment.
