Six of the 10 finalised complaints against councillors in Tasmania under the government’s new framework were for councils in the state’s North.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A new local government code of conduct came into force on April 13, 2016 after amendments were made to the Local Government Act.
Between that date and and February 17, 2017, a total of 17 complaints were received by the Code of Conduct Panel’s executive officer.
Of those 17 complaints, four were dismissed.
Two were dismissed on initial assessment by the chairperson of the panel, one was dismissed without going to a hearing as the panel determined the investigation could be adequately conducted by means of written submissions and one was dismissed following a hearing.
Five of the complaints were upheld, two in full and three were partially upheld.
The invoices for these expenses have ranged from $257 to $5082.
- Department of Premier and Cabinet spokeswoman
Six of the complaints are still under assessment, two were referred in full to another authority to consider and one is the subject of a review by the Magistrates Court.
A spokeswoman from the Department of Premier and Cabinet said the average cost to a council was $2511.
“While the relevant parties to a complaint bear their own costs, the relevant councils concerned in each complaint have been invoiced for the expenses involved in the administration of the Code of Conduct Panel. The invoices for these expenses have ranged from $257 to $5082 (excluding GST).”
Holly Monery
Holly Monery is a journalist for The Examiner newspaper, based in Launceston, Tasmania. Her main area of focus is local government.
Holly Monery is a journalist for The Examiner newspaper, based in Launceston, Tasmania. Her main area of focus is local government.
