Media release – Former Mayor Peter Coad 23 March 2022
Calls To Suspend Huon Valley Council
Former Mayor Peter Coad said the Huon Community and Council staff have received a slap in the face in the appointment of a conflicted General Manager by the Huon Valley Council.
Mr Coad said; “The resignation of Mayor Enders and the subsequent comments by Acting Mayor Doyle of bullying and its impact on Councillors is of real concern.”
“There have been allegations of the bullying of a councillor during the GM recruitment process, and of a Councillor taking stress leave as a result of that bullying.
“This was not external bullying as alleged by Acting Mayor Doyle but internal within the Council.
“This whole conflicted GM debacle has caused a great deal of stress on many members of the Community who are seeking accountability, openness and transparency in the process. The residents feel bullied themselves, because inexperienced councillors have failed to understand basic conflicts of interest and how to manage those issues,” said Mr Coad.
The Minister for Local Government’s ‘hands off’ approach leaves many asking the question where is the leadership from Government to fix these important problems.
“We have all witnessed or experienced the effects of bullying and its impact on mental health and the serious consequences it can have on the person or persons being bullied,” said Mr Coad.
“The Local Government Act 1993 is deficient is so many areas, and the Code of Conduct provisions are an administrative nightmare and that cause immense stress on all parties concerned with its processes.”
The Act allows the General Manager to declare a conflict of interest and to then participate in the decisions of council whilst conflicted. There is no legal requirement for the GM to vacate the meeting and in remaining in the meeting this places all members under duress with a conflicted GM present.
Consultants and contractors can be conflicted in the services they provide to Council yet not be in breach of the conflict of interest’s provisions of the Act.
“Why can a recruitment consultant, [Red Giant] recommend her partner for a $1.25 million dollar contract and remove other applicants in the process but not be conflicted?” said Mr Coad.
Mr Coad said, “The Premier and then Minister for Local Government the Hon. Peter Gutwein in 2014 made significant announcements for Local Government Reform yet here we are nearly 8 years on and we have dysfunctional planning schemes, costly building control measures, poorly managed roads and infrastructure, and poor administrative arrangements.”
“We have the same 29 Councils with no significant Local Government reform.
“Now the Huon Valley Council has a conflicted General Manager with significant detrimental effects on Council staff, many who were previously subject to a Board of Inquiry and who now have to work for a person who does not have the confidence of the community as was demonstrated by the 1400 people who signed a petition, and of those who attended the public meeting on the 4 February 2022.
“The mental health of the community is struggling with the inactions of the Minister to cope with a situation that should never have been allowed to happen.”
“The Minister should immediately suspend all Councillors, commence an Inquiry into to this whole debacle, and recommence the recruitment process for the GM position, before what is already an out-of-control situation becomes much worse.” said Mr Coad.
