Adelaide City Council vote to discuss report into toxic culture in secret

Adelaide City Council has voted to keep secret a report into a toxic culture between councillors and staff, closing a meeting to discuss it.

Several councillors have failed to have a report into a toxic culture at Adelaide City Council discussed in public.

The report was commissioned by the council after its dominant Team Adelaide faction raised concerns about strained relationships between some elected members and the council’s administration.

Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor on Tuesday night used her casting vote to receive legal advice from the council’s law firm about the report behind closed doors.

The move came after acting chief executive Clare Mockler said she would withdraw the item from the meeting if the briefing from Norman Waterhouse was not kept confidential.

Two councillors understood to be named in the report, Phillip Martin and Anne Moran, unsuccessfully argued against the meeting being closed to the public.

Cr Martin said he and Cr Moran wanted to be given the opportunity to publicly defend themselves against perceptions they were “troublemakers”.

Veteran Adelaide City Councillor Anne Moran. Picture: AAP / Russell Millard

Adelaide City Councillor Phillip Martin. Picture: The Advertiser / Morgan Sette

“It has been reported in The Advertiser that there have been allegations of poor behaviour so serious the organisation is considering sending the report to ICAC,” he said.

“If the council is going to close its doors and consider this matter in confidence, these allegations are going to be left hanging in the air.

“A secret meeting will simply further cast a shadow over our representations.”

Cr Martin said a closed discussion would leave the public “thinking the council is just sweeping this under the carpet”.

“I want the chance to defend myself in public,” he said.

“I want the public to know what this is all about and what the process is going to be from here.

“The only way for that to happen is for it not to be in confidence.

“All I am asking is that this matter just does not go away and disappear into the ether, that it is dealt with publicly and not behind closed curtains.”

Cr Moran agreed, saying she and Cr Martin had been publicly linked to the report.

“There is a lot of word on the street about who is the targets,” Cr Moran said.

“I have received a lot of social media negativity about being decisive, being a troublemaker, holding the city back, which is just not true.”

Cr Jessy Khera disagreed, arguing the legal advice about the report had to remain confidential.

“It’s a very important report about the welfare of the staff, not the welfare of councillors,” Cr Khera said.