Eurobodalla Local Government Committee CCS19/011 NEW MODEL CODE OF CONDUCT FOR LOCAL COUNCILS IN NSW E13.7162 AND PROCEDURES My Name is Donald Macdonald and I am secretary of the Eurobodalla Local Government Committee and we are a body constituted as part of NSW Labor. The committee is composed of delegates drawn from the three Labor branches within the Eurobodalla Shire and we have been active since the last council election. We have come here to express our concerns in the manner in which amendments to the Code of Conduct for this Eurobodalla Shire Council were dismissed so summarily by the general manager of council. I note that all other submissions were dismissed also. By way of explaining the weakness’s in the general manager’s responses it is necessary to give some background. My first point is the failure of council to have a panel of reviewers in place for at least the last three years, as legally required under Office of Local Government’s prescribed procedures. My second point is the council’s constant use for many years of the same conduct reviewer and the obvious damage this practice has done to the community’s perception of the integrity of the Eurobodalla Shire Council. It would have been in the interests of all parties if council, instead of rejecting the submissions out of hand, had worked with those submitting to come up with a workable alternative. To this end, our committee request that you view our request to delay voting on the Code of Conduct until such time as a review on the submissions can take place once more and come up with workable responses. It needs to be recognised that those submitting amendments are doing it in the best interests of community and this at least should carry some weight. Finally, councillors, you need to have a close look at past actions by council in this matter and how the amendments we have suggested could only enhance the idea of fairness within the council and without. If these serious issues are not fixed, as they should be, then let me assure you this is not the end of the matter. Donald Macdonald 9 April 2019 Secretary, Eurobodalla Local Government Committee NSW Labor
