Clover Moore: State government demands Lord Mayor account for her annual expenses
EXCLUSIVE: The State Government has sensationally stepped in to stop Clover Moore signing off on her own $3.5 million expense claims.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
SYDNEY Lord Mayor Clover Moore has been given just three weeks to come clean on how she spends her massive $3.5 million annual expenses account.
Following a series of exclusive articles in The Daily Telegraph that exposed Sydney City Council’s excessive expenses claims, the state government has written to the council demanding Ms Moore publicly account for how she spends her millions of ratepayers’ money.
The council has attempted to pass a policy that allows Ms Moore to sign off on her own expenses.
The policy would have allowed the mayor, whose office budget rivals that of most state ministers, unlimited spending of ratepayers’ cash on staffing, phones and facilities without approval from anyone but herself.
But thanks to revelations in The Daily Telegraph last month detailing how Sydney City Council planned to massively increase councillors’ expenses, Local Government Minister Gabrielle Upton has given the council three weeks to introduce a new policy that complies with mandatory guidelines
An investigation by the Department of Local Government found multiple departures from the guidelines and also uncovered anomalies in the Office of Lord Mayor’s annual reporting.
It is understood the government’s concerns relate to Ms Moore’s bloated $3.5 million personal budget and her failure to properly break down where the money is being spent.
Ms Upton slammed the policy as showing “a lack of proper governance”.
“The result of the investigation is a timely reminder to all councils that ratepayers funds must be properly spent and appropriately oversighted,” she said.
“The Lord Mayor signing off her own expenses is unusual and shows a lack of proper governance. This is a concern to me and I am sure to many of the council’s ratepayers.
“The council now has three weeks to get its house in order.”
Acting Local Government chief executive Tim Hurst sent a letter to City of Sydney’s general manager on Friday ordering the council to take urgent action.
“The draft policy appears to allow the Lord Mayor to approve her own expenses and determine what facilities and staff she will be provided,” Mr Hurst wrote in the letter.
“Additionally, the Office of Local Government has identified some possible anomalies in the council’s annual reporting. It would appear that all of costs associated with the Office of the Lord Mayor may not have been properly reported in the council’s annual report.”
A City of Sydney spokesman said at least two staff had approved the Lord Mayor’s expenditure in the past “in accordance with the City’s procurement policies”.
IN OTHER NEWS
“The City has always worked to fully comply with all regulations,” he said. “The City has agreed to review the policy after constructive conversations with the Department, and will provide a draft to the Office of Local Government by late March.”
Liberal councillor Christine Forster said she was “seriously concerned” the Lord Mayor was spending “way too much money” on her own expenses. “I’m very alarmed, but it’s part of a culture of non-transparency from The Lord Mayor,” Ms Forster said.
Labor councillor Linda Scott also criticised the policy. “I share the concerns about the enormous entitlements available to the Lord Mayor using public money,” Ms Scott said.
Baby gorilla who beat the odds puts on an adorable show
Two-year-old gorilla Kaius should have died on multiple occasions in his short life, yet every time he pulled through. Now, he’s back where he belongs.
PM can’t cut-and-run from terror plot intelligence fail, says Dutton
Peter Dutton has called for an urgent probe into a communications failure between state and federal leaders over Sydney’s foiled anti-Semitic terror plot, saying the Prime Minister can’t continue to cut-and-run from the controversy.