Parramatta councillor Ben Barrak to face code of conduct investigation

The State Government is set to investigate a western Sydney councillor’s conduct after a three-month war of words with a Lord Mayor, which has had him expelled nine times.

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There will be no clowning about when the State Government steps in to investigate a maverick Parramatta councillor over a three-month war of words with Lord Mayor Andrew Wilson, which has had him expelled from nine straight council meetings.

Senior government sources say the Office of Local Government will be launching a code-of-conduct probe into the behaviour of Liberal councillor Ben Barrak, who claims the ban against him by Cr Wilson is “akin to Gestapo treatment”.

Parramatta Lord Mayor Andrew Wilson, who is part of the Our Local Community party. Picture: Joel Carrett

The matter, dating back to a meeting on February 20 when Cr Barrak labelled Cr Wilson a “clown” after being called a “liar” and stormed out with confidential papers, was played out in the Land and Environment Court last month when a judge ruled that Parramatta Council was within its rights to enforce the expulsion until the councillor apologised.

After he was booted out for a ninth time last night, amid another schoolyard-like shouting match across the chamber floor, Cr Barrak said he would appeal against the ruling by Justice Tim Moore.

He also said that, if called before an OLG inquiry, he would strongly defend his actions and produce explosive documents against council over alleged fiscal mismanagement.

He then mounted a Ronald McDonald defence in claiming word ‘clown’ was not offensive.

“McDonald’s has got clowns, and clowns are beautiful creatures who make people laugh and they are the emblems of some corporates,” he said.

Fun and games: Ronald McDonald.

Cr Wilson, from the Our Local Community party, said he had written to the Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock about the matter and would welcome any investigation into Cr Barrak’s behaviour.

He said it was “not simply a matter of name-calling”.

“Cr Barrak is also being compelled to return confidential papers from a meeting and to apologise for inappropriate comments made to an independent third party, a solicitor that had been engaged by council,” Cr Wilson said. “These are not inconsequential matters.”

Sources say three Federal and State Liberal MPs in Sydney’s northwest, Alex Hawke, David Elliott and Mark Taylor, are “absolutely furious” with Cr Barrak’s behaviour as it’s “bringing our party into disrepute”.

Cr Barrak denies this, saying: “I am being a good Liberal, because the Liberal Party stands for transparency, and this is what I’m fighting for.”

Federal Liberal MP for Mitchell Alex Hawke.

Seven Hills State Liberal MP Mark Taylor.

An OLG spokesman would neither confirm nor deny a probe would be held into the conduct of Cr Barrak.

“Acts of disorder by councillors at meetings potentially constitute breaches of the council’s code of conduct and ‘misconduct’ for the purposes of the Local Government Act,” the spokesman said.

“It is open to councils to take disciplinary action against councillors under their codes of conduct for acts of disorder or, where serious, to refer such conduct to the Office of Local Government for disciplinary action under the misconduct provisions of the Local Government Act.”