Ratepayers Deserve Transparency
Western Victoria MP Bev McArthur this week raised in Parliament the ongoing turmoil at Warrnambool City Council. Questioning Minister for Local Government Shaun Leane, she asked for the Minister’s assurance that the results of investigations into the Council will be made public before voters go to the polls to in October’s local elections.
In the Legislative Council’s Constituency Question Time, Mrs McArthur said:
“As the Minister knows, the chief municipal inspector has announced an investigation into the sacking of the Council’s CEO… I welcome this review and thank the minister for his assistance in securing it.
“On top of this, last December the Victorian Ombudsman began investigating potential credit card fraud at Warnambool City Council.”
“The question I have for the minister is: can he ensure that all relevant information from both reports will be released prior to the upcoming local government elections?”
Mrs McArthur later added:
“I am aware from recent media reports that the CEO’s payout is of the order of $350,000. For Warrnambool ratepayers’ sake, I hope that is not just the deposit!”
“Warrnambool residents deserve to be in possession of the full facts when they come to cast their vote. These are both serious investigations, undertaken at considerable public expense, and it would be wrong for the results not to be made available to ratepayers and residents before the election. ”
“I am confident that the Minister recognises this, and will continue to be supportive in uncovering the truth.”
4 September 2020