‘The public ought to know’: Calls for Clarence Council to be more transparent over secretive deal
Deals to spend ratepayers’ money on a “significant property matter” must be debated in open council and not be “stitched up behind closed doors”, an alderman says.
Hobart & South
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A CLARENCE alderman will move for a “significant property matter” that is set to be discussed in closed council on Monday to be discussed publicly, claiming the council could vote in secret to purchase property without public input.
No detail about the item is available to the public but Ald Luke Edmunds said the matter was in the public interest.
The item in the agenda for Monday’s council meeting is simply titled “property matters”.
“We’re talking about spending public money and we should be making those decisions in public,” Mr Edmunds said.
“It’s really significant because every cent we spend outside our budget has an impact on how we manage our funds for decades to come.
“Major decisions that impact rates for years to come should not be stitched up behind closed doors.”
Ald Edmunds said the secrecy would erode the public’s trust in the council.
“People are sick and tired of these sort of major decisions on the Eastern Shore being stamped confidential and agreed to in secret,” he said.
Ald Tony Mulder said the public should have a say in how their money was spent.
“It’s their money, the ratepayers have absolutely got a right to know when council’s out spending their money on things outside the normal budgetary process,” Ald Mulder said.
“What we need to do is get back to a principle that the public ought to know.”
Ald Mulder said it would not be the first time the council had made deals behind closed doors.
In 2019, the council voted to purchase the Eastside Squash Centre for more than $900,000 in a closed council meeting.
The decision was criticised for a lack of transparency.
Ald Edmunds urged his fellow councillors to support the item being discussed publicly.
“What we want to see is this decision made in the public meeting – I’d definitely urge other aldermen to get behind it and do the best thing for our ratepayers,” he said.
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