Members of Northern Land Council calling for full council meeting to be held this week amid concerns

MEMBERS of the Northern Land Council are calling for a full council meeting to be held this week amid concerns over the council’s governance and the dismissal of chief executive Joe Morrison

Former Chief Executive Officer with the Northern Land Council Joe Morrison. Picture: Anna Rogers

MEMBERS of the Northern Land Council are calling for a full council meeting to be held this week amid concerns over the council’s governance and the dismissal of chief executive Joe Morrison.

It comes as Mr Morrison spoke publicly for the first time since he was sacked, saying he has never been given a formal reason for his dismissal.

At least eight members of the full council have signed a letter sent to council chairman Samuel Bush-Blanasi demanding a full council meeting be held this Friday.

They’ve also written to Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion, who has the power to call a full council meeting, urging him to intervene.

The letter raises concerns about the Aboriginal Investment Group, a not-for-profit organisation of which the NLC is the major shareholder.

The council members’ concerns relate in part to rent that is paid by the NLC for the lease of its offices in Mitchell St, which are owned by the AIG.

A resolution passed at a full council meeting of the NLC instructed Mr Morrison to assess whether the NLC should continue leasing the AIG-owned building, or whether it should consider another landlord that offered better value for money.

It’s understood Mr Morrison ordered an assessment which found the NLC was paying about $1 million a year to lease the building, but amid falling CBD prices, the market rate should have been about $700,000.

Shortly after this assessment was delivered, Mr Morrison was sacked by the NLC’s nine-member executive council.

It followed revelations Mr Morrison had been in a relationship with his executive assistant. He has denied any suggestion he acted improperly.

At the same executive council meeting where Mr Morrison’s employment was terminated, Mr Bush-Blanasi cancelled an extraordinary meeting of the full council “called to deal with issues that could be dealt with by the executive”.

NLC chairman Samuel Bush-Blanasi. Picture: Justin Kennedy

When contacted on Wednesday, Mr Morrison said he was unable to discuss issues surrounding the lease of the Mitchell St property, but, in his first public comments since his dismissal, said he had always acted appropriately in his role as the NLC’s chief executive.

“I have never been given formal reasons as to why I was terminated and I’m at a loss because I have always operated the Land Council in a very transparent way and met my key performance indicators as the CEO,” he said.

“To find out about my dismissal in the media three hours before I was interviewed … was seriously disappointing.”

The letter lists seven questions it believes the NLC’s executive council needs to explain to members about Mr Morrison’s sacking.

“Please provide us (your members) the evidence and motivation that resulted in Mr Morrison’s automatic dismissal and public humiliation was not based on our (Full Council) resolution to obtain an approximate 25 per cent reduction in the lease agreement on the property owned by the Aboriginal Investment Group (AIG), which interestingly you and the other NLC executive members are directors of,” the letter says.

Lead signatory Paul Henwood said he wanted a full meeting of the council’s 78 members held so governance issues could be discussed.

He said when the meeting is held he will push for Mr Bush-Blanasi and Deputy Chairman John Christophersen to be removed from their positions.

“Joe’s vision is a vision I want to be a part of and it isn’t over,” he said.

“There’s no better man at the helm than Joe and if that option was available I would jump at it, no doubt, but that’s Joe’s call, what I’m doing is addressing issues that are wrong and we need to correct them and it starts with good governance. That’s the biggest issue.”

Under Section 31 of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act a full council meeting can either be called by the chairman, the Indigenous Affairs Minister, or the deputy chairman with the support of at least six other full council members.

Council members have also written to Mr Christophersen calling for him to convene a full council meeting, arguing they have far more than the six signatures required for a meeting to be held.

Mr Bush-Blanasi and Mr Christophersen were contacted for comment.