Dysfunction within Edward River Council has reached a point where Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig has been forced to intervene.
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Council was last week issued a notice of intention from the Office of Local Government, on behalf of the minister, to issue a Performance of Improvement Order.
If enacted, council will be appointed a temporary adviser and council will be required to take specific actions to address the behaviours to the satisfaction of the Minister.
The notice of intention was issued to council on Tuesday, although some councillors say they were not made aware until Thursday when an extraordinary meeting of council was called to address it.
In response to questions from the Pastoral Times, a spokesperson for the OLG said ERC’s order is intended to “address ongoing concerns about dysfunction amongst the councillors”.
ERC has further explained that its letter from the minister suggests there is evidence that councillor behaviour reflects a lack of understanding of council’s Code of Conduct and Code of Meeting Practice, and that council risks “reputational damage and non-compliance with its workplace health and safety obligations”.
“This action comes in response to multiple instances of poor conduct from councillors at Edward River over a period of more than 12 months, and the council’s failure to properly respond to the issues raised,” the OLG spokesperson said.
“Under the PIO it is proposed that a temporary adviser will be appointed to work with the councillors to address these concerns.
“The minister will consider any submission from the council before a final decision is made about whether to proceed with the PIO.”
Acting CEO Mark Dalzell said ERC will meet from 8.30am this morning to develop a submission to OLG, which must also be received by today to be compliant with the order.
“Council is and will continue to cooperate fully with the Office of Local Government in respect to this matter,” Mr Dalzell said.
“I can confirm that the community remains the councillors’ and the organisation’s central focus, and that there will be no impact to service delivery.”
“Council expects to receive further information from the minister and the Office of Local Government in the next four to six weeks.
“We intend to keep the community fully informed throughout the process.”
The Pastoral Times contacted all councillors to provide a response to the order.
Mayor Peta Betts said she was limited in what information she could provide before today’s meeting, but supported the approach from OLG.
“From a personal perspective, I fully support the notice received from the minister as I have been requesting further and ongoing assistance from the OLG for some time,” she said.
Councillor Linda Fawns had a similar response, saying “At this stage, given we have a meeting on Tuesday, the only thing I have to say is that I support the minister’s intervention and recommendations”.
Others councillors to respond were Shirlee Burge and Pat Fogarty, who have both been vocal in their concerns about the long-running dysfunction within council.
“While I fully support the minister's correspondence, my initial response is too little too late,” Cr Fogarty said.
“I have written to the Office of Local Government numerous times throughout the past year calling for positive intervention on their behalf.
“Following my many approaches to leadership being ignored, it became apparent to me they did not seem to have the capacity to consider evidence, suggestions or information that did not fit their worldview, and our council environment transgressed to an environment unfamiliar to my 20 plus years experience.
“As a team of journalists doing your job, you have reported the challenges and dysfunction on numerous occasions also.
“I hope the intervention at this point inspires members of the community to put their hand up in September in the hope that a new team will restore Edward River to the successful environment it was immediately post amalgamation.”
Like Cr Fogarty, Cr Burge said she feels the interaction from the minister has come too late.
“I was certainly not surprised, in fact I commend the minister for his intervention. However I personally believe it is 18 months too late.
“I have repeatedly requested intervention from him throughout the course of my term due to sheer frustration.
“At this late stage I believe it only acts as a deterrent for prospective new councillors which may well suit some of the existing regime.
“My advice to locals who want a better and more informative and cohesive Edward River Council is to put your hand up, attend this week’s introductory briefings and that way create a fresh new approach.”
If the POI is pursued, ERC will become only the third council in NSW to be subject to such an order. Orders are in place for Kiama Municipal Council due to financial sustainability concerns dating back to 2022 and Georges River Council for poor councillor behaviour concerns raised in 2021.
Senior journalist