Zoe Moffatt
Macedon Ranges and Hume councils welcomed an anti-corruption report into transparency with developers, however neither council has implemented an interaction register which was recommended by Local Government Inspectorate (LGI) in 2022.
This push for increased transparency follows the Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) Operation Sandon report into Casey council, which was handed down in late July.
The report investigated whether any Casey councillors accepted payments, gifts or other benefits, including political donations, in exchange for voting on or influencing council decisions on planning matters that favoured the interests of developer and planning consultant John Woodman and his clients.
The report handed down 34 recommendations that could impact the ways councils interact with developers building in their communities.
IBAC’s first recommendation was the establishment of an implementation inter-departmental taskforce to coordinate the implementation of its recommendations.
Hume council said it is committed to acting with integrity in all interactions and it believes its existing conflict of interest provisions are sufficient.
Chief executive Sheena Frost said council awaits the government’s response to these recommendations and is reviewing practices it can incorporate in the meantime.
“The community rightly expects staff and councillors to be acting in the best interests of the community,” she said.
“The Operation Sandon report has been long awaited and the recommendations, in particular those designed to ensure the experiences of Sandon can never be repeated are welcome.
“Councillors play an important role in understanding the wants and needs of residents, particularly when it comes to representing community views about the future of their neighbourhoods.
“We will welcome the opportunity to provide feedback to ensure this continues once the government’s response to the recommendations is known.”
Macedon Ranges council chief executive Bernie O’Sullivan said council looks forward to working with the government on potential reforms, including the potential for formal registers.
“Council currently has a Councillor Interactions with External Parties on Planning Matters Policy, which aims to increase transparency and integrity around councillors interacting on planning matters,” he said.
“This policy requires councillors or council officers… to provide information to the CEO and governance team regarding their interactions on any planning matters.
“This information is kept on file but not transcribed into a formal register, it is not made public as it involves personal information from third parties.”
This report follows five recommendations from LGI last year, including that councils should keep a register of councillor interactions with developers open and transparent and available for the public to see.
