Council votes to bar the unruly

By Paul Dunlop
UNRULY people can now be barred from attending Cardinia Shire Council meetings.
New local laws give council the power to order people considered to be disrupting meetings to leave the public gallery. Depending on their behaviour, they may not be allowed back.
Council recently made several amendments to its meeting procedure laws in a move mayor Bill Ronald said would provide more open and transparent governance.
But other councillors spoke out strongly against the changes.
Cr Kate Lempriere was against banning people from meetings.
“I think it’s a bloody nonsense,” she said.
Councillors also disagreed over the merits of moves to reintroduce the provision for motions without notice and allowing recision motions to be signed by one councillor only.
Cr Doug Hamilton said he was concerned the changes meant councillors could use the new rules as a way of “getting at” senior shire officers.
Cr Hamilton said the changes were totally wrong and he did not believe it was democratic.
Previously, a councillor had to have the support of at least one colleague before he or she could lodge a recision motion.
Councillors also had to give notice of their intention to move other motions that were outside the agenda framework.
“If a councillor wishes to deliberately disrupt any important decision, he or she just has to move a recision motion,” Cr Hamilton said.
Cr Bill Pearson said the new notice without motion provision was wrong.
He said allowing motions without notice means councillors now operate under different rules from the rest of the community.
Residents wanting to question councillors or shire officers must submit their questions in writing by midday on the day of the meeting.
“Councillors should be subject to the same rules as everybody else in the community,” Cr Pearson said.
Cr Graeme Legge also spoke against the changes but he and councillors Hamilton and Pearson were outvoted four to three.
Councillors Ronald and Lempriere and councillors Brett Owen and Ed Chatwin supported the new provisions.
Cr Lempriere said there were some things she agreed with and some she didn’t.
“I trust that councillors will act honourably,” she said.
Cr Owen said questions without notice were part of an open council. Cr Chatwin was confident councillors would not abuse their new powers.
“I don’t have any fears with councillors behaving badly,” he said.
Cr Ronald said the meeting procedure law was a “live, working document” that could be changed again if necessary.
“It’s about openness and transparency,” he said. “Council and the community have nothing to fear.”
>>> What’s your view? Email the Gazette at editorstarnewsgroup.com.au or phone 5945 0666 to have your say on council’s new meeting procedure local law.