Editorial: Now enough is enough

EDITORIAL: AS the northern suburbs community awaits what is widely expected to be a bombshell Board of Inquiry report into the Glenorchy City Council, another report has appeared.

Glenorchy councillors during a council meeting before the council was suspended.

AS the northern suburbs community awaits what is widely expected to be a bombshell Board of Inquiry report into the Glenorchy City Council, another report has appeared, almost beneath the radar.

But it is potentially every bit as damning, raises serious questions about the governance procedures at the council before the implementation of Commissioner Sue Smith, and rightly begs the question from the community: “What the hell has been going on?”

A report tabled in State Parliament by the Tasmanian Audit Office found the council’s actions to employ a company headed by former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett to the tune of $1.05 million “lacked transparency” and failed to comply with the Local Government Act.

MORE: GUTWEIN VOWS TO GET TOUGH WITH COUNCIL

In one of the most damning findings, the state’s public sector watchdog says it found evidence to indicate the council had intentionally split certain projects to avoid public tendering requirements.

Auditor-General Rod Whitehead yesterday tabled his report after an investigation into the relationship between the council and Victorian company CT Management.

It found that between October 2012 and April 2017, the council paid CT Management a total of $1,051,909 — often without going to tender for a range of projects. There is no suggestion CT Management did anything untoward.

Some of the top-level findings include:

THE council failed to comply with the Local Government Act 1993 and its own procurement codes.

EVIDENCE was found to indicate the intentional splitting of procurement for certain projects to avoid the requirement to publicly invite tenders.

THE council failed to meet its procurement principles of open and effective competition, and enhancement of the capabilities of local business and industry.

IT didnot document its assessment and decision not to follow its quotation process or seek tenders.

Mr Whitehead’s report said the overall process of engaging CT Management by the council “lacked transparency, independent review, reporting and good governance”.

In isolation, this is problematic enough and it has sparked calls from independent MP Andrew Wilkie for a police investigation.

But amid a backdrop of a separate inquiry into dysfunction and divisions within the council, claims of a campaign to undermine senior members including the former mayor, and now Supreme Court action aimed at delaying the release of the Board of Inquiry report, the community surely has the right to say “enough is enough”.

This is not a media concoction, witch-hunt or beat up. This is a sad and sorry tale of a deeply dysfunctional council. These issues have been kept in the dark for far too long and the community deserves much better. There must be resolve to allow the new council administration and the people of Glenorchy to get on with their lives. Treasurer Peter Gutwein says the state will announce, in coming days, its plan to restore order and democracy to Glenorchy.

This cannot come a moment too soon.