Lord mayoral candidate Sally Capp says Melbourne City Council culture needs ’realignment’

LORD mayoral candidate Sally Capp has promised to help clean up the culture at the City of Melbourne that allowed the sexual harassment affair to happen.

TOWN Hall aspirant Sally Capp has promised to clean up a Melbourne City Council culture that allowed the recent sexual harassment scandal to fester.

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Ms Capp, Victorian executive director of the Property Council of Australia, has called for a “realignment” of values at the City of Melbourne as she campaigns to be the first directly-elected female lord mayor.

“There’s a need for leadership ... there’s got to be a change in tone, there’s got to be a change in approach,” she said.

“The people of Melbourne deserve and have come to expect high levels of professionalism from their public officials.”

Lord mayoral candidate Sally Capp has promised to deal with cultural problems at the City of Melbourne. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Ms Capp announced her candidacy last week following the resignation of Robert Doyle last month amid sexual harassment claims against him by current and former councillors.

Mr Doyle, who was admitted to hospital for depression and anxiety, has denied the allegations.

An interim report on the council’s investigation into the claims has been completed, but is yet to be released by council CEO Ben Rimmer.

Ms Capp told the Sunday Herald Sun said something in the council’s culture had allowed the scandal.

“There needs to be a realignment of values and behaviours,” she said. “I’m not saying they’re not there, it’s just that some things got prioritised or were allowed to happen that shouldn’t have happened.”

Emma Page Campbell with her husband Robert Doyle. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Ms Capp said a change to a female lord mayor would bring a lot of value. “You will definitely see a different tone and a different direction, and I think that’s very positive,” she said.

Ms Capp, 50, is married with two teenage boys and lives in the city’s inner east. Her husband, Andrew Sutherland, runs his own IT business.

A priority if she wins the May mayoral election is getting the $250 million Queen Vic Market redevelopment back on track.

The redevelopment was champ­ioned by Mr Doyle, but is facing delays amid a protest campaign by a group including potential lord mayoral candidate Phil Cleary.

Ms Capp said the redevelop­ment was needed to guarantee the market’s future.

“How we’ve ended up in a place of dispute that’s so important to Melbourne I don’t know. But I’m really looking forward to finding out and seeing how I can help fix it,” she said.

Another key issue for her is home­lessness and begging.

“We want a city that has heart and that’s caring, and that means genuinely working with those in need on our streets to find long-term solutions for them,” she said.

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