Off the Record: Adelaide City Council sitting on bombshell report
Adelaide City Council is sitting on a damning report on culture and infighting, as chief executive Mark Goldstone is absent with illness.
SA News
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ADELAIDE City Council is sitting on a potential time bomb in the form of a damning report exposing a toxic culture.
The report into the adverse impact poor behaviour by some councillors is having on administration staff was ordered by members of the dominant Team Adelaide faction.
They are constantly having political fights with veteran councillor Anne Moran and her ally, retired media boss Phillip Martin.
Largely prepared by external consultants, the report’s release has been delayed for administrative reasons by the sudden serious illness of chief executive Mark Goldstone, who is on extended sick leave.
Instead, his deputy, Clare Mockler, has been preparing a detailed response after seeking legal advice from Norman Waterhouse on the implications of publicly releasing the report.
Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor has been considering calling a special council meeting to make the report public.
Another option being examined is dispatching the report to ICAC Commissioner Ann Vanstone, who has the powers to conduct an evaluation of the council’s practices, policies and procedures.
A similar exercise was carried out at Playford Council following the controversial sacking of former Grand Prix boss Mal Hemmerling, who took legal action for unfair dismissal.
The issues at Adelaide City Council largely involve ongoing tensions between Ms Moran, Mr Martin and Team Adelaide, especially leader Alexander Hyde.
Staff regularly are getting caught up in disputes, especially during meetings.
The report is understood to detail the extent of these problems, along with examining dissatisfaction among staff with the overall administration of the council and the behaviour of some councillors.
Meetings are becoming increasingly fractious when the council has serious issues to deal with during the pandemic, such as increasing debt, poor asset management and finalising a long term financial plan.
Separated at birth
All over the world History Trust chief executive and Adelaide City councillor Greg Mackie is being recognised. From the ice of Antarctica, to the streets of the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires he has been stopped by the curious. Even in Adelaide people have jumped off trams just to ask the question: “Are you …?’’
Unfortunately for Mackie he is being confused with someone else. And not someone good.
The question all these people are asking is: “Are you Steve Bannon?’’
Yes, that Steve Bannon. One time adviser to former president Donald Trump, highly influential leader in the violent tendencies world of the alt-right and one of those pushing the bonkers theory that current US President Joe Biden had “stolen” the election.
Mackie insists he doesn’t see any similarity but said he had been stopped by Americans and Canadians and last week outside the Adelaide Town Hall by someone who had seen him from the tram and jumped off.
But he sees the funny side, sending Off the Record pictures of himself and Bannon: “One of these is Greg Mackie, the other is a sinister fascist.’’.
Close colleagues
A little more proof, if any was needed, that the rules are somewhat different for MPs than the rest of the population. It was observed this week that MPs had returned to their old pre-COVID seats and were sitting shoulder to shoulder in the House of Assembly. The MPs had previously, like the rest of the population, been required to observe social distancing rules and remain 1.5m apart. The result had seen MPs spread across the chamber. But no more.
House of Assembly Clerk Rick Crump confirmed that the rules that had been in place since May 12 had been changed.
“Members are now required to take their assigned places on the floor of the Chamber,’’ he said.
SA Health has signed off on the change, but the social distancing rules remain for everyone else in Parliament House.
“While there has been a return to using the chamber at a pre-COVID level, all other important COVID safe measures for members, their staff and parliamentary employees remain in place to ensure the safety of all South Australians,’’ SA Health said.
Not too taxing
Now, as anyone who has ever seen the Legislative Council in action (if that is not too strong a word) can attest, it’s not exactly a lively place. Still there were at least two moments worth noting this week.
In a reply to a question about why land tax bills were late, Treasurer Rob Lucas admitted yes, that some were late, a fact that had also been pointed out to him by his barber who texted him to say his clients had been complaining about the bills not arriving.
“I sent a text back to him saying, ‘It’s the first time in 40 years I have ever heard of anyone complaining that they hadn’t received their tax bills from me as the Treasurer.’ I was delighted to hear that news.’’
Tongue Tied
Then there was Labor’s Ian Hunter doing an ‘impersonation’ of Margaret Court, and not in a tennis sense. Hunter was the state’s first openly gay Cabinet Minister and was understandably appalled that Court recently received an AC in the Australia Day Awards.
In a speech to parliament, Hunter called Court a “bigot” and a “con artist” and even included a recitation of Court’s work as a religious Minister, after videos surfaced of her “speaking in tongues’’, a fringe practice in some Christian churches.
Following an apology to the Hansard reporter Hunter recited.
“Harra-deb-or-see
Aya ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
Haya-barra-de-barra-bala-bor-see-ah
Ah-boy-eh-ha-ha-ha-ha
Ho-ye-he-he-ha
Ho-alla-bolla-meh
Haya-ba-haya-ba-ba’’
Originally published as Off the Record: Adelaide City Council sitting on bombshell report
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