Kingston Councillor Jane Agirtan has been stood down following accusations of doxing via social media
A Kingston councillor has been stood down after a Melbourne lawyer accused her of making disparaging comments against her on social media and allegedly encouraging her followers to do the same.
South East
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A councillor from Melbourne’s southeast has been stood down amid allegations she doxed a lawyer on social media.
The Kingston City Council stood down councillor Jane Agirtan just 48 hours after she faced court for allegedly posting disparaging comments online about legal practitioner Emily Rothfield.
In a Facebook post made on Wednesday afternoon, the council announced Ms Agirtan had been “stood down from her role” and “must not perform the functions and duties of, or exercise the powers of a councillor, including attending Council meetings, delegated committee meetings or attending Council premises, until the conclusion of the court proceedings”.
The announcement came after Ms Agirtan fronted the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for allegedly breaching a personal safety intervention order by refusing to delete allegedly defamatory posts against Ms Rothfield.
Ms Agirtan — the former independent member for Chiquita Ward — was charged in February for breaching the order when she allegedly encouraged her followers to contact Ms Rothfield, calling her a “pitiful and pathologically-obsessed individual who has harassed me for years”.
The council social media post referenced the Local Government Act which states “if a councillor is charged with an offence … the chief municipal inspector may apply to VCAT for an order to stand down the councillor until proceedings in respect of the charge are finally determined”.
Ms Agirtan will remain stood down indefinitely, with a Kingston council spokesman saying “a timeline for (the court matter) is not yet known”.
“During this period council will have 10 councillors,” he said.
“Community members from Chiquita ward who want to contact a local councillor will be directed to the Mayor.”
The council made no further comment “as the matter is before the courts”.
Ms Agirtan was contacted for comment.
