Victorian government appointing more municipal monitors

Victorian councillors’ behaviour, conflict on councils and an inability to govern have led to an influx of municipal monitors being appointed to local councils across the state.

Victorian councillors’ behaviour, conflict on councils and an inability to govern have led to an influx of municipal monitors being appointed to local councils across the state.

Local Government Minister Melissa Horne recently appointed a new municipal monitor, Steven Kingshott, to Horsham Rural City Council.

There have been 20 municipal monitor appointments – including two at HRCC – since 2013, to help deal with local council governance issues.

There are six councils currently hosting municipal monitors including HRCC, Moonee Valley, Colac Otway Shire, Buloke Shire, Darebin City and Brimbank City councils.

HRCC mayor Robyn Gulline said Mr Kingshott had been appointed to assess the council’s ability to “function properly”. The council is facing an inspectorate review after delivering its 2024-25 budget three weeks after deadline, amid concerns over staff under “immense pressure”.

Municipal Association of Victoria president David Clark noted the increase in Spring Street-appointed monitors, but the reasons were varied.

“It’s a fair observation — there’s been a noticeable increase and part of that is due to the times we were living in at the last council election in 2020,” he said.

“Councillors were campaigning virtually, after being elected, they spent a year or so meeting virtually and not gathering as a team, so some councils were not working cohesively as they would in a normal first year in office.

“When you become a councillor, you’ve got to learn the art of negotiation — you’ve got to give a little bit to take a little bit.”

Municipal Association of Victoria president David Clark. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Several key concerns across Victorian appointments included council ability to perform, councillor behaviour and understanding of roles, meeting procedures, relationships between councillors and staff, and health and safety processes.

Meanwhile, there have been five commissions of inquiry, when there are “serious governance failures”, at Moira Shire, South Gippsland Shire, Ararat Rural City, Greater Geelong City and Surf Coast Shire councils.

Whittlesea, Casey City and Moira Shire councils were dismissed.

The Weekly Times contacted the Local Government Inspectorate office but they did not respond by deadline.

Opposition local government spokesman Peter Walsh said limited funding and ongoing costs from state and federal governments created frustration within councils.

“Councils find it very challenging to do the things they aspire to do while they’re in council,” he said.

“Sometimes that frustration boils over to dysfunctionality around the council table and a number of councillors don’t necessarily understand their role when they put their hand up for council when they have a project they want to get done.”

He said councils needed support, and the Local Government Act 2020 disempowered councillors.

“The feeling from nearly all the councillors I talk to is they don’t believe the state government shows them the respect they should have as the third tier of government for the state,” he said.

A spokesman for the Local Government Minister said the total cost of municipal monitors was a matter for individual councils.

“We passed legislation in June to improve council governance and integrity standards including introducing mandatory training and a code of conduct,” the state government spokesman said.

“Municipal monitors appointed to councils have proven to be effective in making governance improvements and helping councils better serve their communities.”

Cr Clark said the threshold for appointing council monitors had also altered in the past four to eight years.

“The Local Government Minister getting involved and appointing a monitor used to mean the council was in deep trouble — intervention was the only way out. It seems now the approach is an ‘aide to democracy’ in that other approaches haven’t worked and an outside influence is needed.”