Adelaide City Councillor Anne Moran threatens legal action to stop her emails being read aloud in council chamber

Veteran councillor Anne Moran has intervened as a fellow member tried to present 170 emails of her name-calling and allegedly harassing him and other staff.

A long-serving councillor accused of sending abusive emails has stopped them being read out during a meeting.

North Adelaide resident Anne Moran threatened during a council meeting on Tuesday night to take legal action if Team Adelaide faction leader Alexander Hyde continued reading emails sent to councillors and senior staff.

Cr Hyde attempted to table 170 of Ms Moran’s emails before Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor was advised by governance staff to scrutinise their content first.

The move came as councillors debated staff recommendations about tackling bad behaviour, including restricting contact between elected members and staff.

Changes to the council’s code of conduct were formulated by acting chief executive Clare Mockler following a confidential investigation by an Adelaide law firm, EMA Legal, into allegations of bullying and harassment of staff.

Cr Hyde said the public needed to know the extent of the poor behaviour which was occurring within the council.

“We have all seen the awful harassment and bullying of staff, and others on council like myself,” he said.

“It is precisely why Deputy Lord Mayor (Mary) Couros and I called for this investigation to be undertaken.”

Cr Hyde said he had been described by Cr Moran in emails as “a loser”, “cringe-worthy”, “a lightweight who should zip it”, “rude little shorty”, “tool”, “Napoleon” and “distasteful”.

Cr Hyde said he wanted action taken against bad behaviour within the council because it was creating dysfunction.

“I am worried about ratepayers, I am worried about delivering for them, I am worried about staff,” he said.

Cr Moran interrupted, demanding Cr Hyde should stop because the emails were private.

“Isn’t this a whole motion to stop bullying,” she said. “He is bullying me now.”

Ms Verschoor ordered Cr Hyde to stop reading out the emails until they had been studied by council governance staff.

He responded by saying he was trying to expose the toxic culture within the council.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

“There are hundreds and hundreds of them.

“I am trying to pierce the veil so the public can see the rot in this place.”

Cr Moran said she would take legal action if Cr Hyde continued.

“He has defamed me, he has insulted me and he has held my mental health up to public ridicule,” she said.

Cr Moran had earlier told the debate that the culture within council was the worst she had seen in her 26 years on council.

“The behaviour by some councillors has certainly been challenging and I, as a long term councillor, I can assure the young councillors that has certainly challenged my mental health and my wellbeing,” she said.

“I have never seen anything like it on my time on council.”

Cr Moran said she acknowledged she “might not be the sharpest tool in the shed or sharpest politician” but she knew what a “good council looks like and what good behaviour looks like”.

“This certainly looks nothing like that,” she said.

Cr Moran said she supported action being taken to improve the behaviour of councillors.

“I am sick and tired of the personal abuse, I am sick and tired of being bullied and I am sick and tired of this chamber.”

Cr Couros said she had sought the report by EMA Legal because she was “shocked” by “totally inappropriate emails” she had seen sent by some councillors to staff.

“I was shocked at the way that senior members of council spoke in emails to not only other elected members but also to administration,” she said.

“You would not get away with that in the private sector.

“Honestly, it is shameful, it is embarrassing, it gobsmacked me and it interfered with my own mental health because I could not understand how this is possible in local government.”

Cr Couros said space had to be put between elected members and the administration.

“Honestly, the behaviour is appalling,” she said.

Cr Couros said ratepayers were fed up with hearing about “the crap” coming out of the council.

“We are here as elected representatives, we are here for ratepayers, we are here to do a job,” she said.

“I am using that word because I don’t know what other word to call it.”

Councillor Alexander Hyde, Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor, and Councillor Anne Moran. Picture: AAP / Russell Millard

Cr Arman Abrahamzideh said “bad things” had happened during email exchanges within the council and, on occasions, he had “felt it necessary to intervene”.

“I have seen countless emails where abuse has been perpetrated by senior members in this chamber towards staff and towards other elected members,” he said.

“We need to call this behaviour out, stamp it out and get rid of it.”

Cr Moran and eight other councillors voted for the measures proposed by Ms Mockler to improve behaviour. Cr Phillip Martin voted against.