Ombudsman finds Adelaide City Councillor Anne Moran committed misconduct by leaking details of 2026 Games bid
Veteran Adelaide City councillor Anne Moran has flagged a potential tilt for the Town Hall’s top job and says she will not resign over a finding of misconduct.
City
Don't miss out on the headlines from City. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Councillor files code of conduct complaint against Cr Moran
- Adelaide’s 2026 Commonwealth Games bid officially dropped
- How to get the most out of your Advertiser digital subscription
Veteran Adelaide City councillor Anne Moran has flagged a potential tilt for the Town Hall’s top job and says she will not resign over a finding of misconduct.
In an email to councillors and the media today, the veteran councillor, who will have served a record equalling 28 years oncouncil at the 2022 poll, said she was looking forward to the next three years and a “run for the big seat”.
But she qualified her potential nomination to The Advertiser, saying she would only run if incumbent Sandy Verschoor or members of a council’s dominant faction, such as Houssam Abiad,were to nominate unchallenged.
“It’s not my ambition to be lord mayor, as I would have done it by now, but if nobody else puts their hand up I definitelywould as I couldn’t stand another four years under them,” she said.
It comes after deputy mayor Alexander Hyde said Ms Moran should “seriously consider” her future after the state Ombudsman Wayne Lines yesterday found her guilty of misconduct in public administration for leaking details of a confidential presentation to council regarding the now abandoned 2026 Commonwealth Games bid.
“If Cr Moran is unable to follow the law in the future then she should resign,” Mr Hyde told The Advertiser yesterday.
Ms Moran’s conceded she had publicly shared discussions of the confidential meeting but denied it was a leak, arguing that the information she released was largely available publicly, such as the fact that most Commonwealth Games did not make a profit.
“The point I want to make is it wasn’t confidential information that I leaked,” she said.
“I rang the CEO at the time and I said it was breach in the most technical way possible.
“I really wonder when Wayne Lines complains about trivial matters coming to his office, this was trivial.”
During the inquiry, Cr Moran told Mr Lines she could not recall making the remarks but said she “might have” done so.
In his report Mr Lines accepted that Ms Moran’s public remarks “do not appear to have disclosed information that was likelyto be of particular sensitivity to the state government or council”.
But he said it was not for Cr Moran to “make such an assessment” and was “satisfied” she had shared information the councilhad wanted to keep secret.
Ms Moran has been isolated under the current council regime being part of a minority faction regularly outvoted and outmanouvered by a dominant crew headed by Mr Abiad.
Ms Moran said the complaint over her conduct was “clearly politically motivated” as it had been put in “well after” the StateGovernment dropped its Games bid.
“I definitely am not going to resign, I accept my punishment but I’ve done nothing wrong,” she said.
On Tuesday, the council will decide if it should “reprimand Cr Anne Moran for her misconduct in public administration”.
Mr Lines has suggested that be “by means of a public statement”.
Last year, Cr Arman Abrahimzadeh made a code of conduct complaint against Cr Moran for swearing at him and refusing to say his name correctly.
He later dropped the complaint.
The State Government abandoned its bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games because of a lack of required sports infrastructure and the $3.5 billion cost outweighing the long-term economic benefit.