Clover Moore to face suspension if council phone complaint is upheld

City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore could be suspended from office amid an investigation into whether she allegedly broke rules around use of council resources for campaign work.

EXCLUSIVE: City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore risks being suspended from office if a complaint that she used a ratepayer-funded phone for her re-election campaign is upheld.

Her political rivals also allege she used council staff, letterhead and a car for an earlier campaign in breach of council rules.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore during her 2016 re-election campaign.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore during her 2016 re-election campaign.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Liberal councillor Christine Forster has lodged a complaint with the City of Sydney and Office of Local Government (OLG) accusing the Lord Mayor of misusing public resources to campaign for her independent Team Clover ahead of next year’s local council elections. Ms Moore denies the claims.

That complaint alleges Ms Moore used a council-funded phone number on her campaign site “in clear breach” of three different council rules.

Ms Forster lodged the complaint about the contact number on Ms Moore’s website campaigning for a fifth term as mayor on Tuesday because it prompts callers to email her official Lord Mayor email address.

“You’ve reached the office of the Lord Mayor, Clover Moore,” the voicemail says.

The website asks for donations and promotes Team Clover for re-election, calling for support “for the next city election”.

It is a different site to her official Lord Mayor website from 2019.

The OLG confirmed that using council resources such as phones or staff to assist an election campaign is a breach of the OLG’s code of conduct — unless the use is lawfully authorised and proper payment is made.

A breach of the rules could result in suspension from office for serious offences, according to a spokesperson.

A spokesperson for Ms Moore said “there has been no contravention of the code” and the OLG had “never deemed the Lord Mayor to have acted in contravention of the Code of Conduct”.

The spokesperson defended the office phone number used on her website and said a specific campaign office number — paid for with campaign funds — is listed during “campaign periods” and reception staff “know to help with city matters only”, despite the number dialling to voicemail, not reception.

Ms Forster said Ms Moore should resign if she is found to have breached the strict rules.

“She’s channelling campaign inquiries through the Lord Mayor’s office and referring them to her council email address,” Ms Forster said.

Campaign material from the 2016 election handed to Clover Moore Independent Team candidates is printed on City of Sydney letterhead in an alleged breach of council rules. Picture: Supplied

Independent councillor Angela Vikoulakis said the Lord Mayor would have known using a council phone to field enquiries about her campaign was improper.

“We are warned about these things … She would have been well aware where the line is drawn,” she said.

Her political rivals claim this is not the first time the Lord Mayor has allegedly used council resources during an election campaign.

Former and current councillors have told The Daily Telegraph Ms Moore used her car for campaign door knocking, council staff to run campaign briefing sessions and City of Sydney letterhead on campaign material.

Catherine Lezer, who ran for Ms Moore’s independent team in the September 2016 election, said the Lord Mayor arrived in her publicly-funded council Prius to doorknock at Waterloo Estate.

“There is a clear distinction between volunteering for campaign work and council work, and she was definitely doorknocking with us,” Ms Lezer said.

Ms Lezer, who was not elected and is now a councillor for the City of Perth, said a two-day “candidate briefing” for Team Clover in 2016 was run by council staff during business hours.

Ms Forster has also seen council staff undertaking campaign work.

“At the last two campaigns, I would always see her (council) staff at election booths and they would always claim to take leave. It’s outrageous.”

These claims do not form part of the official complaint with the OLG.

A spokesperson for Ms Moore said staff had volunteered for her team but “have always done so … on personal time.”

The spokesperson said a Prius was provided to assist the Lord Mayor but said she “often walks or is driven in the vehicle of volunteers” when going to campaign events.

Also in 2016, campaign material handed out at a candidate briefing for her team was printed on council letterhead.

The spokesperson said the logo appeared only on an internal document, which was never presented to the public.

A spokesperson for the NSW Office of Local Government said they would not comment on active investigations and the NSW Electoral Commission said they could not disclose details of active investigations.