Councillors told to make up their mind on the key decisions

INDECISIVE councillors who don’t vote in council meetings across Victoria could soon be told to get off the fence.

INDECISIVE councillors who don’t vote in council meetings could soon be told to get off the fence.

Councillors are abstaining because of tough decisions on key planning issues or using thin excuses to claim a conflict of interest.

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The state Labor Government is reviewing the rates of voting abstentions across Victoria.

Outgoing local government minister Natalie Hutchins said that abstaining from key votes was a technique being used too often by councillors to avoid their responsibilities.

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“Unfortunately, particularly around planning matters, there have been some councillors who have abstained knowing full well that the decision would then have to be referred to VCAT,” Ms Hutchins said.

“That is kind of misappropriating the position a bit and quite frankly people have an expectation that their councillors are going to turn up to meetings and vote whether it’s a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’.’’

The government is conducting a review of the Local Government Act that will likely go to parliament early next year.

Outgoing local government minister Natalie Hutchins. Picture: Sarah Matray

Ms Hutchins explained that the review was also examining the excuse of conflict of interest to avoid important decisions.

“That’s being used also, but more in regional and rural areas where, for example, new signage that was going to go up in front of Mitre 10, one of the councillors at a particular council said: ‘I can’t vote in this because I shop at Mitre 10’. Well, so did the other six councillors,” the minister said.

“There was only one hardware place, that is not conflict of interest.”

Municipal Association of Victoria president Mary Lalios explained that mayors could already count abstentions as a no.

“It’s a legitimate form of voting but ultimately it’s counted as a vote against.’’

Cr Lalios said councillors who had a legitimate conflict of interest were within their rights to abstain.

Municipal Association of Victoria president Mary Lalios.

“People are voted to council to make decisions, so if a planning matter comes to council, it has to be dealt with,’’ she said

In the City of Yarra, Greens councillor James Searle abstained from the final vote on the council’s annual budget, despite months of discussions and amendments.

The state legislation review will also examine social media, and especially how to rein in misconduct by councillors.

Ms Hutchins said that councillors had distributed confidential information that the council had been considering in a meeting, which they were not meant to have shared.

Yarra councillor Stephen Jolly was investigated and cleared after he tweeted his concerns about possible budget cuts to an after-school program for low-income families at a Fitzroy housing estate.

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