Onkaparinga councillor Bill Jamieson escapes sanctions after investigation into bullying claim took too long

A $10,000 investigation has found an Adelaide councillor bullied and harassed a fellow elected member but his colleagues have not accepted the findings. Here’s why.

$10,000 investigation has found an Onkaparinga councillor bullied and harassed a fellow elected member but his colleagues have not accepted the findings because the inquiry process took too long.

The council has voted “not to accept” the findings of a consultant’s investigation into a complaint by Cr Gail Kilby that Cr Bill Jamieson behaved in an “inappropriate” manner at a meeting on May 26, 2015.

City of Onkaparinga Councillor Bill Jamieson.

The consultant’s findings were dismissed because of “delays in assessing the complaint”, the council decided last month.

The council said it took too long “notifying the complainant and investigating the complaint”, causing both councillors “stress and anxiety”.

This was despite the consultant, Byrt Corporate Advisory, finding that Cr Jamieson had breached three code of conduct clauses by “acting to bully or harass other council members” and staff and “not acting in a reasonable, just, respectful way”.

The council refused to release the consultant’s report and voted to apologise to both councillors.

Cr Kilby lodged the code of conduct complaint against Cr Jamieson in May, 2015, alleging he behaved in an “inappropriate” manner during and after a council meeting on May 26, 2015.

Cr Jamieson was notified of the complaint in October 2015 after a preliminary assessment.

Following its appointment in December 2015, Byrt Corporate Advisory investigated the claims and handed down its findings in April 2016.

The report finally came before Council in May — a year after the complaint was lodged.

A report to last month’s council meeting stated Cr Jamieson was “understandably distressed about the difficulties he was experiencing in performing his duties as a councillor” and was frustrated by events at the meeting, which led to “out of character” behaviour and language.

In a letter responding to the allegations, Cr Jamieson said the complaint contained “discrepancies, exaggerations and words that I would not use”.

He believed the dispute — which had been “very bruising on me when I was most vulnerable because of health and family issues” — could have been solved via mediation.

He apologised in the letter for his actions and urged councillors to “inform me straight away” if they were offended by his remarks in the future.

He also wrote that the inquiry’s length was an “impediment to the investigation becoming a fair, just and reasonable process”.

“It was pointed out to the investigator that it was impossible to recall actual statements verbatim that were made eight months previously ... but he indicated that was what he required otherwise he could not consider my evidence.

“I pointed out that under those terms, the investigation was certainly not fair, reasonable or just given the circumstances and the eight months passage of time.”

In a letter to the council last month, Cr Kilby agreed the process had taken too long.