Simon Overland’s Lawyer X role triggers council revolt

Almost half of the councillors at the City of Whittlesea where Simon Overland is CEO are refusing to ­attend meetings.

Former Victoria Police chief commissioner Simon Overland in Melbourne. Picture: Jason Edwards.

Almost half of the councillors at the City of Whittlesea where former Victoria Police chief commissioner Simon Overland is chief executive are refusing to ­attend council meetings amid the Lawyer X scandal.

Last night, five of 11 councillors boycotted a meeting amid calls for him to stand down.

Mr Overland was head of the Purana Taskforce and was implicated in the use of a gangland lawyer as a police informer between 2005 and 2009.

Last week, the Andrews government announced a royal commission into the use of Lawyer X as a police informant, after Victoria Police lost a two-year, $4.52 million battle in the High Court and Court of Appeal to keep the matter secret.

Lawyer X was a criminal barrister for many gangland figures at the same time as she was informing on them.

Councillor Ricky Kirkham told the Herald Sun neither he nor his colleagues Alahna Desiato, Caz Monteleone, Mary Lalios and Norm Kelly would be attending last night’s meeting.

Should one other councillor join the five, Mr Overland could be forced out of his job.

“Five out of 11 councillors will not be attending council tonight,” Mr Kirkham told the Herald Sun. “Simon has not responded to very serious concerns raised last Thursday. His silence is alarming. Any suggestion it is business as usual is simply not the case.”

Mr Kirkham called for Victorian Local Government Minister Adem Somyurek to step in if Mr Overland refused to stand down during the royal commission. “It is time for the Minister for Local Government to consider intervening,” he said.

“A special council meeting will be called for next Tuesday to force this issue to a head — ratepayers deserve better.”

Mr Overland is paid $400,000 a year as chief executive of the City of Whittlesea, in Melbourne’s outer north.

He told the Seven Network he had accounted for all of his ­conduct to an Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission investigation, and would be happy to do so at the royal commission.

Whittlesea Mayor Lawrie Cox has defended Mr Overland, saying the royal commission would not impact on council business.