Cumberland councillor Steve Christou’s misconduct brought council into disrepute, document reveals
A western Sydney councillor and former mayor could be disqualified after a leaked document found he wrongfully used a council boardroom to discuss a project with the Afghan community.
Parramatta
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Cumberland councillor Steve Christou has been censured for meeting with Afghan leaders at the council’s premises during his campaign to discuss a plan to rename Merrylands Park to Afghan Park — a move that could lead the Office of Local Government (OLG) to suspend him.
At its September 7 meeting, the council agreed during a closed session to formally censure the Granville ward councillor for breaching a string of rules under its code of conduct.
A secret document viewed by the Parramatta Advertiser stated how the Our Local Community councillor held a meeting in the general manager’s boardroom at the council’s Memorial Ave headquarters at Merrylands on November 30, 2021, for his election campaign to discuss the ongoing Afghan Town project.
The meeting was held with members of the Afghan community and is understood to have discussed plans to rename Merrylands Park at Burnett St to Afghan Park and to install a statue map of Afghanistan ahead of the December 4 poll.
The use of the facility was a breach because Cr Christou used the council resources when it was in caretaker mode and he “failed in his responsibility to the community to demonstrate principled leadership by acting within the boundaries set by the procedures and by the council resolution when he held the meeting of community members’’.
The council document, prepared after an investigation, said Cr Christou claimed the meeting in the boardroom was “legitimate council business” because it was held to discuss the ongoing project but “the evidence gathered during this investigation contradicts councillor Christou’s claims regarding the nature of the meeting”.
That comprised Facebook evidence, information from council officers and council policy regarding the conduct of council meetings during the caretaker period.
The papers state that the Facebook images suggested it was a campaign meeting, despite Cr Christou initially denying it.
The document states Cr Christou “misused council facilities and brought council into disrepute by allowing members of the community to believe that council premises could be used for purposes that were outside the provisions of the Caretaker Procedures”.
The report concluded that there were breaches of 3.1 (a, b, c, d and f), 8.13, 8.16 and 8.17, the latter which states: “You must not use council resources (including council staff), property or facilities for the purpose of assisting your election campaign or the election campaigns of others unless the resources, property or facilities are otherwise available for use or hire by the public and any publicly advertised fee is paid for use of the resources, property or facility”.
Proven code of conduct breaches can lead to the OLG and NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal to impose suspensions from civic office, suspend a councillor’s entitlement to receive their fee and disqualification from holding civic office in a council.
During the confidential part of the Cumberland meeting, which is closed to the public and media, the council agreed to refer the matter to the OLG after Labor Mayor Lisa Lake used her casting vote to disapprove of Cr Christou’s misconduct.
Labor councillors Diane Colman, Glenn Elmore, Sabrin Farooqui, Mohamad Hussein and Suman Saha voted to refer the matter to the OLG.
Our Local Community councillors Paul Garrard, Eddy Sarkis and Helen Hughes, and independents Joseph Rahme, Michael Zaiter and Greg Cummings, voted against the motion.
Labor councillor Kun Huang left the meeting before the item was considered and did not vote.
An Office of Local Government spokesman said: “The decision to censure the councillor for breaches of the Code of Conduct is a matter for the council.
“The Office of Local Government does not comment on matters it may or may not be investigating.’’
Cr Christou was approached for comment.
He served as mayor from September 2019, when he quit Labor, to November 5, 2021. Cr Lake was elected mayor in January.
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