Khal Asfour: Canterbury-Bankstown mayor defended by councillors for expensing MBA fees to council

A southwest Sydney mayor has been criticised for charging a business degree to ratepayers. However, his councillor colleagues have defended his actions.

Canterbury-Bankstown mayor Khal Asfour has been defended by his Labor colleagues who claim his expensing of his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree to ratepayers did not breach any guidelines.

The Australian recently reported the council has been reimbursing Mayor Asfour’s fees for his MBA postgraduate degree, potentially costing ratepayers up to $48,000.

The report detailed how documents obtained under NSW Freedom of Information laws revealed he had charged more than $10,000 to expenses in 2018 and 2019 for four semesters of his degree.

The Australian reports the expense appears to have breached the council’s $3000 professional development ­expense policy in the 2017-18 ­financial year, the first year Mr Asfour undertook his degree, after which the policy’s cap was lifted to $15,000.”

In September, the mayor’s Labor state parliamentary colleague Tania Mihailuk used parliamentary privilege to allege a relationship between Mr Asfour and disgraced former Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid and, on a separate occasion, Liberal state MP Wendy Lindsay raised questions around Canterbury-Bankstown council planning processes.

Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour (centre) faces allegations from Wendy Lindsay MP (left) and Tania Mihailuk MP (right).

“Council’s processes, integrity, and mine are all intact,” Mr Asfour said in response to the allegations.

The mayor fired back at both MPs in a heated council meeting where he challenged them to leave the ‘cowards castle’ of parliament and repeat their claims.

The Express has asked every councillor who voted to approve the limit from $3000 to $15,000 — that are still elected representatives — whether they were aware of the mayor’s MBA when they approved the limit being raised by a factor of five.

Labor councillor Linda Downey said she would need to see the timelines, which she did not have at the moment, before saying the NSW Government forces councillors to undergo training as a requirement.

“I’m aware that lots of people have undertaken training as a requirement of councillors,” Ms Downey said. “I myself will be engaging in training required by the state government.”

When asked, she said she had not undergone an MBA and had no plans on doing one in the near future.

The Express did not receive responses back from councillors Charlie Ishac, Bilal El-Hayek, George Zakhia or Clare Raffan.

Councillor Linda Downey. Picture: Canterbury-Bankstown Council

Councillor Chris Cahill. Picture: Canterbury-Bankstown Council

Labor councillor Chris Cahill, who was not an elected member when the limit was raised, said council expenses go on public exhibition and it is an open process.

“As far as I’m aware, Khal has not done anything that breaches guidelines,” Mr Cahill said.

“Councillors have an obligation to undertake professional development to keep their skills current.”

When asked if he would be undertaking an MBA to keep his skills current, he said he had no plans to do so.

Mr Asfour was recently endorsed by the Labor Party to run for the NSW Upper House.

In NSW Parliament Question Time on Wednesday, Local Government Minister Wendy Tuckerman made several comments towards Mr Asfour, before being criticised by Labor MP Ron Hoenig for what he called a “naked political attack”.

In response, Ms Tuckerman said, in part, “ … councils need to make sure they are delivering for their communities, not delivering MBAs for their local mayors to have a career change in the upper house”.

“Why has the Leader of the Opposition not disendorsed the mayor less than 24 hours after recent reports that the council is footing the bill for the mayor’s alternative career?”

The Express reached out to the council, asking if Mayor Asfour wanted to comment on Wendy Tuckermans’ statements, but did not receive a response prior to deadline.