Anne Moran threatens legal action against Adelaide City Council over long meetings
Adelaide City Council meetings that often go past midnight threaten the health and safety of “exhausted” staff and councillors who are making decisions as late as 2.30am, Anne Moran says.
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Adelaide City Council stalwart Anne Moran has threatened to take legal action against her own council for the “ridiculous” length of its monthly meetings.
Cr Moran says the meetings – which routinely go past midnight – are a threat to the health and safety of staff and councillors and a “very clever gag order” to stop the public watching the council.
She threatened the legal action in an email to Adelaide City Council chief executive Mark Goldstone and Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor, sent on Sunday.
In the email, she said the council was open to decisions being challenged because councillors were too exhausted when they voted on important issues.
Meetings were scaled back from twice to once a month last December – resulting in meetings finishing as late as 2.30am.
They were also restructured so confidential items occurred in the middle of the meeting – with the public locked out – and councillors’ own proposals were discussed at the end, often after midnight.
Cr Moran said it prevented councillors from having their say and stopped members of the public knowing what was happening within the council.
She said she was “going gaga” late at night and that meetings after 11pm included “crazy decision-making”.
“The CEO gives his staff the morning before the meeting off, but they still have to go to work on Wednesday with four hours’ sleep,” Cr Moran said.
“A lot of people on the council are full-time workers, so they’re coming from an eight-hour workday, doing a 10-hour meeting, catching a couple of hours’ sleep and going back to work.
“There is no way a decision at 2.30 in the morning from somebody who has been up since 6am is sound.”
She said she was seeking legal advice on the validity of the meetings.
In another email last week, Cr Moran said it was “quite scary” leaving meetings late at night to catch a taxi or go to a parked car.
Mr Goldstone said he was “aware of the concern of some members” about the lengthy meetings.
“In consultation with the Lord Mayor, I have started to prepare a report to council, which I intend to table for discussion as soon as possible,” Mr Goldstone said.
The Messenger understands that motion could propose returning to two meetings per month.
Deputy Lord Mayor Alex Hyde conceded meetings were too long but contended that was because of some councillors filibustering to “grind down their opponents”.
“This juvenile tactic has to stop,” Cr Hyde said.