Booze, parking fines among the questionable expenses claimed by local councillors, staff

From boozy lunches and parking fines to shots of alcohol and beauty spa treatments, these are the frivolous things ratepayers have been slugged for by councillors across the state.

Ratepayers have been slugged with the cost of boozy lunches, parking fines, shots of alcohol and trips to wineries and beauty spas by councillors and staff across the state.

A scathing investigation by Victoria’s Auditor-General has concluded that councils are failing to meet ratepayers’ expectations with their frivolous and secretive use of public money.

It uncovered scores of questionable expenses, including a $298 lunch for Strathbogie council staff with beer, wine, vodka and other “shots”.

A Strathbogie manager also paid for drinks at a pub for “good morale after busy week”, and twice visited a cafe on weekends, saying it was for meetings even though a children’s meal was purchased.

Ratepayers have been slugged with the cost of councillors’ boozy meals.

Wellington Shire spent $1349 on a dinner for new councillors and their partners, while cans of pre-mixed alcohol drinks and a $171 case of wine were purchased as “meeting supplies”, even though the council maintained councillors did not drink on the job.

Wyndham’s chief executive billed ratepayers more than $180 at two bookshops while in Canberra for a conference, as well as $73 at a cocktail bar at 11.36pm.

The report, from acting Auditor-General Dave Barry, analysed spending by Wellington, Strathbogie, Wyndham and Shepparton councils and found major gaps in corruption controls.

Strathbogie council received particularly heavy scrutiny over cases including:

• The chief executive and a councillor having two parking fines totalling $310 paid because they “did not intend to risk parking illegally”;

• An executive receiving $21,700 for rent based on a “loose” salary packaging agreement;

• A councillor claiming almost $3500 for home phone and internet expenses — despite having a work mobile phone, and

• Staff being sold taxpayer-funded fleet cars as much as $15,000 below market value, with one given a vehicle — bought for $42,000 in 2014 — for nothing in an exit package.

Local Government Minister Adem Somyurek moved to reassure Victorians after the report was released. Picture: Tony Gough

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Questions were also raised about the $4.9 million spent on 256 credit cards by Wyndham staff, including a $534 “monthly working lunch” for executives with two bottles of wine.

The report revealed Wyndham councillors received an $800 lump sum printing allowance — without needing to show how it was used — even though they could access council office printers, were given laptops and received electronic copies of meeting papers.

Council credit cards were also used for accommodation, food and drinks, and visits to tourists attractions by staff who were on leave.

Opposition local government spokesman Tim Smith said the government “needs to do more to ensure these fat cat council bureaucrats don’t behave like minor European royalty and actually serve their local communities”.

Local Government Minister Adem Somyurek moved to reassure Victorians that most councils were “not interested in boozy lunches”.

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