A number of Dubbo councillors want changes made to the council code of conduct policy and one has warned of renewed disunity after the council’s general manager decided not to pursue recent complaints.
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Cr Tina Reynolds this week admitted she was the complainant in one of the matters referred to Dubbo City Council general manager Mark Riley and demanded to know why it was dismissed.
Her complaint included an allegation a councillor had presented false credentials.
Mr Riley declined to reveal who the complaint was against, saying it would be inappropriate for him to do so.
Mr Riley did say he had handled 16 complaints this year, 12 in the first quarter and four in the second quarter.
The issues surfaced at this week’s meeting of the finance and policy committee, in response to the general manager’s quarterly report.
Cr Ann Barnard was “astounded” to find that one councillor faced the conduct review committee for allegedly calling another a “pathetic disgrace” but the councillor or councillors who were this quarter subject to complaints she deemed “more severe” were not asked to answer the allegations made against them.
Cr Shields is still waiting for the conduct review committee’s recommendation after his hearing.
Cr Barnard said it was her guess the most recent code of conduct complaints were made by a member of the so-called bloc of five, against a member of the so-called bloc of six.
“I’m confused about why one went to the conduct review committee and these didn’t,” she said.
“I see it making more divisions in council if my assumptions are correct.”
Cr Reynolds then came forward as the person who made the allegation of presenting false credentials of profession this quarter.
“I am concerned it is not going any further,” she said.
“I’d like to know if the general manager sought advice from the conduct review committee about false credentials (when evaluating the complaint).”
Mr Riley said he did not have that luxury and relied on nine criteria to evaluate the complaint.
Cr Bartley also entered the debate to raise his concerns about “deficiencies” in the conduct review system.
Last year he was subject to a conduct review committee hearing and ultimately found in breach of the code of conduct over a leaked email deemed to have been confidential.
Complainants’ identities should be made public in the interests of transparency, even if their complaint was dismissed, he said.
“What have they got to hide?” he asked. “Why shouldn’t they stand by their complaint?
“The policy has inherent flaws.
Mr Riley said he agreed the system was not perfect, but said that he was working within it.
