By Violet Li
Casey Council is seeking for Local Government Victoria (LGV) to consider prohibiting a councillor found of serious misconduct from standing for election for up to eight years, as part of its response submission to Local Government Reforms 2024.
The reform proposes that the minister will have the power to suspend an individual councillor for up to 12 months if the councillor is found to create a serious risk to the health and safety of the council or is preventing the council from performing its functions.
Further, the governor in the council would have the power to disqualify an individual councillor of serious misconduct from standing at future council elections for up to eight years if the entire council is dismissed.
Casey Council supports the proposals, but it is seeking clarity around the eligibility to stand for upcoming council elections.
“It is noted that the eight-year prohibition only applies when an entire council is dismissed,” Casey Council writes in its submission.
“Council asks LGV to consider this being applied to an individual councillor, not just an entire council.”
Casey Council is also seeking further clarity on how to manage the length of time when the councillor is suspended, leaving no representation of the community.
Casey Residents and Ratepayers Association secretary Brian Oates said he would agree with the eight-year suspension.
“I believe the electorate in Casey would also agree with that, as long as all things were fair and not some set up, but with the huge amounts allegedly involved in the recent past a life suspension should be considered,” he said.
The ratepayer association recently called on the State Government to ban Casey’s 2016 councillors from standing again in the upcoming election in October.
