City to report annually on conduct, finances post-monitor review

THE City of Greater Geelong has formally accepted all of the recommendations outlined in the final report from Victorian government-appointed municipal monitors Peter Dorling and Prue Digby.

The duo was reappointed to the council in April 2024, just months after completing an initial term, extending oversight of the council’s governance processes and the working relationships between councillors until December that same year.

Handed down last month, the final report noted ongoing concerns with the council’s workplace culture, following a “unusually high number of complaints” between councillors during the preceding council term, but ultimately expressed optimism that the newly installed council group understood “the importance of integrity and respect for each other”.

“The council has five new councillors and six returning councillors. How they interact and work together is yet to be seen,” the report stated.

“The new mayor will be responsible for keeping the councillors focused and avoiding unnecessary conflict. The mayor’s skill in moderating and in many cases mediating councillor disputes is a key element in this council group’s success.”

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Cr Ron Nelson said concerns had also been raised in the report about the council’s ability to meet its existing service and asset management requirements, with the report calling for fiscal restraint in the medium-term.

“When people talk about growing pains, that’s what we’re suffering from.”

As part of a draft action plan, developed in response to the report’s recommendations and endorsed by the council on Tuesday, the city has committed to report annually to the Minister for Local Government on councillor conduct, as well as the council’s long-term financial sustainability and, more broadly, its progress on addressing each of the recommendations included in the report.

The monitors’ report also includes a recommendation that the council limit its use of notices of motion (NoMs) to only those calling for an officer report and that met the criteria outlined in the governance rules.

This, the report said, has been a “sector-wide concern”, with inappropriately used NoMs at risk of creating division and diverting resources away from items on council meeting agendas.

In response, the city has committed to an ongoing review of the prescribed governance rules, an action that drew the ire of Cr Anthony Aitken, who ultimately voted against the endorsement of the action plan.

“I’m not comfortable with the recommendations put forward,” he said.