Trevor Dance has been suspended as a Hume councillor for “serious misconduct” in failing to comply with two lawful directions from an arbiter.
Mr Dance has been suspended from office for three months from Friday, April 29.
He has vowed to appeal the decision at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
A Councillor Conduct Panel was appointed to investigate whether Mr Dance had complied with the council’s internal arbitration process.
The panel determined that Mr Dance was guilty of “serious misconduct” in failing to follow a direction that he attend hearings on June 17 and 24, 2021 in person.
The panel rejected Mr Dance’s contention that his mental health made it impossible for him to comply with the directions.
“We do not accept that is so,” the panel said in a report released on Friday afternoon.
“He failed to comply with the directions because he chose not to comply.
“He said, at the time, that he was too unwell to attend council premises or be in the same room as Cr [Jack] Medcraft.
“Yet on 21 May 2021, at a time a directions hearing was being attempted to be arranged by the arbiter, Cr Dance attended a function at Council premises which was also attended by Cr Medcraft,” the panel found.
Under the Local Government Act, if a councillor is suspended they cease to be a councillor for the term of their suspension and they are not entitled to receive an allowance for the term of the suspension unless the Act otherwise provides.
