Liberal Sally Betts denies claims she drove drunk after council meeting

Former Waverley mayor Sally Betts denies claims she drank too much and swore at colleagues after a council meeting. The allegations are now the subject of a defamation case.

Waverley councillor Sally Betts hands out how-to-vote pamphlets at the 2017 elections. Picture: AAP Image

A high-profile Liberal councillor is being investigated by her council over allegations she was so “visibly affected by ­alcohol” that colleagues ­attempted to stop her from ­getting behind the wheel of her car.

The complaint against Sally Betts, who denies the claims, is one of several allegations being looked into by Waverley Council after a boozy after-council meeting last October.

Several sources confirmed one of the allegations being investigated involved the Liberal Party state executive member drinking alcohol and driving home, despite other colleagues attempting to stop her.

Multiple witnesses have told the council they believed Ms Betts was “in no state” to drive after the post-meeting drinks last year.

Waverley Council refused to release footage showing part of the incident from the council chambers carpark at Bondi Junction after The Saturday Telegraph made an application under freedom of information laws.

Waverley councillor Sally Betts. Picture: John Appleyard

Waverley councillor Leon Goltsman. Picture: Supplied

The allegation and subsequent complaint to the party’s headquarters by colleague Leon Goltsman about the incident are now the subject of a defamation fight between the pair.

Mr Goltsman declined to comment when contacted this week.

His letter to the Liberal Party complained Ms Betts told him to “f..k off” and claims she had “alleged excessive alcohol consumption and offensive language”.

She denies the claims and is currently locked in a District Court defamation case with Mr Goltsman after the letter was reported on by the media earlier this year.

Mr Goltsman has enlisted the help of human rights lawyer and former Waverley mayor George Newhouse to defend him.

Ms Betts is considered one of the party’s most influential figures, but has made a series of gaffes in recent times including using the phrase “gay boys” in a leaked WhatsApp message in March.

She later apologised for her words, which were sent in a group chat for women members of the Liberal Party.

She plans to contest the local government elections in ­September.

Ms Betts, then Waverley mayor, on the hustings at the 2017 local government elections. Picture: AAP Image

The former mayor has been on council for more than two decades and was once one of the most senior staffers inside former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s office.

When contacted this week Ms Betts said she believed claims about witness recollections to the council of her alcohol consumption before driving home were “incorrect”.

“I do recall the October meeting because of the motions that were discussed on the night,” she said.

“I was made aware of Mr Goltsman’s allegations when I read about it in the media early this year, some months after the meeting.

“He did not at any time discuss his allegations with me, but they are the subject of the defamation proceedings and will be addressed at the appropriate time and in the appropriate forum.

“I categorically deny Mr Goltsman’s allegations.”

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