By ANEEKA SIMONIS
CARDINIA Shire councillors called in lawyers to look over a legally binding behavioural agreement described as “ridiculous” by one resistant signatory.
Councillors were “forced” to sign the revised code of conduct agreement at a recent meeting, legally binding them to many ethical requirements relating to councillor behaviour and relationships designed to hold community interests above their own.
Some of the principles under the revised Local Government Act 1989 require the shire’s nine councillors to act with integrity and honesty, exercise impartiality, separate personal and professional conflicts, avoid making misleading statements or using public resources for personal gain.
Councillors are required by law to sign and operate under these principles.
Each councillor signed the conduct agreement during a public council meeting in mid-April, with Councillor Kate Lempriere voicing her reluctance.
As she signed the document, she shared strong thoughts about the agreement with ratepayers in the shire’s public gallery.
“I will sign the code, but I am reluctant to sign it. Not because I intend to break the code, but because it is ridiculous that there is no code of conduct for state and federal politicians, and we are actually being forced to sign as your local government representatives … the closest (government) to the people,” she said.
The statement came moments after council’s manager for Governance Doug Evans said the Commonwealth agreement was “very much a case of do as I say, not as I do” when asked whether higher levels of government were bound by similar legislative principles.
“Council is the only level of government made to adopt in compliance with such a code,” he said.
Council documents reveal that councillors discussed the code at length with legal representatives which helped frame Cardinia specific changes before it was agreed upon.
