Onkaparinga council CEO Mark Dowd yet to repay $6800 golf club fee three months on

ONKAPARINGA Council chief executive Mark Dowd is yet to repay a controversial ratepayer-funded membership to a prestigious golf club, despite promising to do so almost three months ago.

A Facebook picture of Mark Dowd enjoying his golf.

• Onkaparinga Council CEO Mark Dowd in new row over expenditure

ONKAPARINGA Council chief executive Mark Dowd is yet to repay a controversial ratepayer-funded membership to a prestigious golf club, despite promising to do so almost three months ago.

Mr Dowd’s failure to follow through on his vow comes as Onkaparinga Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg travelled to China at ratepayers expense on Tuesday, ahead of attending the historic Port Adelaide versus Gold Coast AFL clash in Shanghai this weekend.

The pair were embroiled in controversy when The Advertiser revealed in February the SA Ombudsman had criticised the council’s decision to pay Mr Dowd’s Kooyonga Golf club membership fee worth almost $7000 and keep it secret.

Although he promised to repay the membership after more than a week of criticism over the payment, Mr Dowd did not apologise and rejected the criticism as “unjustified’’.

Onkaparinga mayor Lorraine Rosenberg has left for China.

The council subsequently refused to release details of how the membership at the western suburbs club benefited the Onkaparinga region.

The council, however, confirmed this week the money had not been repaid.

Mr Dowd initially offered to use the $6818 repayment to fund local businesses via council grants on February 22.

It was also revealed by The Advertiser that Mr Dowd, who has an annual salary package of $328,000, maintains a permanent carpark in Adelaide’s CBD at a monthly cost of $341 to ratepayers.

While Mr Dowd declined to comment on his delayed golf fee repayment, Ms Rosenberg said the fee “is being repaid to council’’ but also declined to explain why it had not yet been received.

“The CEO was not required to repay the money by either the Ombudsman or the Council, but took a personal decision to do so,’’ she said.

Ms Rosenberg is also president of the Local Government Association and an avid Power fan.

An LGA spokesman said she was in China with the association’s chief executive Matt Pinnegar at the invitation of the State Government.

However, the spokesman said the LGA was covering the $11,000 cost of its representatives’ trip.

“Mayor Rosenberg has been officially invited by the State Minister for Investment and Trade, Martin Hamilton-Smith, to represent the sector at a high-level meeting with SA’s Premier, the Governor of Shandong, and senior governmental officers in Jinan on 12 May,’’ the spokesman said.

“Mayor Rosenberg will also attend the AFL game between Port Adelaide and Gold Coast Suns. She has purchased her own ticket to the game.’’

The City of Onkaparinga Watch Facebook group, representing residents and ratepayers, said the public had a right to know what happened to the fee repayment.

Groups spokeswoman Yvonne Wenham said Ms Rosenberg should be explaining why the money hadn’t been repaid instead of taking a trip to China.