State government again appoints monitors to oversee Geelong council

The state government has reappointed monitors to City Hall, with a new report from those previously in the role revealing “poor” trust and working relationships between councillors.

Local Government Minister Melissa Horne. Picture: David Geraghty/NCA Newswire.

The state government has once again appointed monitors to oversee Geelong council, effective immediately.

The appointment, announced Tuesday by Local Government Minister Melissa Horne, sees the return of monitors less than three months after the 12-month term of Peter Dorling and Prue Digby came to an end.

It adds another chapter to a recent chequered history at City Hall that has included a commission of inquiry, an administration period of one-and-a-half years, and two sets of municipal monitors covering a period of almost three years.

Upon completion of their term in late-January, Mr Dorling and Ms Digby handed their report – made public on Tuesday afternoon – to Ms Horne.

A key recommendation was that monitors be immediately reinstated if complaints from councillors concerning the actions of their colleagues “continue at their current intensity and/or if the working relationship between the ongoing CEO and individual councillors becomes problematic”.

“The council engaged in a process of resetting their relationships and held a councillor only independently facilitated workshop in August 2023 to agree values and behaviours, which we attended,” the report stated.

“An additional workshop was held in September with the new CEO (Ali Wastie) upon her commencement, which we also attended.

“Despite these efforts, we have observed an increasing, and unusually high, number of complaints between councillors either informally, under the code of conduct or to the principal councillor conduct registrar.

City of Greater Geelong chief executive Ali Wastie. Picture: Alison Wynd.

“We have also observed that the trust and working relationship between a number of councillors is poor.

“Given that the council has had difficulty committing to reflecting on their individual and group performance during our appointment term, we are not convinced that the council group will engage in this practice once our appointment term finishes.

“It is also our concern that once our appointments end, tensions and divisions in the councillor group will escalate especially with the upcoming elections and that this type of behaviour will only increase.

“Not only does this have a negative reputational impact on the council, it diverts the energies and efforts of the CEO from the strategic management of the council business and operations.”

At council’s February meeting, councillor Peter Murrihy sensationally introduced an alternative motion that prioritised state government funding for female-friendly facilities at Newtown and Chilwell’s Elderslie Reserve, rather than Hamlyn Park.

There has been significant fallout – internally and externally – following this meeting, deepening the divisions highlighted in the report.

Mr Dorling, who has a long history of helping out when things go awry at City Hall, has again been named as one of the monitors.

He will be joined by Mark Davies, a former chief executive of the Surf Coast Shire.

Mark Davies has been appointed by the state government as one of two monitors who will oversee Geelong council.

Mr Dorling and Mr Davies, who have been appointed until at least the end of the year, will work closely with Ms Wastie.

Local government elections are scheduled for October.

The monitors are each paid $1296 a day for their work, with ratepayers forced to pick up the bill.

“I thank Mr Dorling and Ms Digby for their work as monitors to Geelong City Council last year,” Ms Horne said.

“Their report shows that work still needs to be done to improve governance practices at the council, and the appointment of Mr Dorling and Mr Davies as municipal monitors will support that work.”

Since receiving the report, Ms Horne repeatedly said she was “considering” advice contained within it.

The cost of the monitors was $107,626 in 2023.

Originally published as State government again appoints monitors to oversee Geelong council