An error of omission in Redland City Council’s latest Annual Report has been corrected by adoption of an amended version which now includes details of a misconduct order against Mayor Karen Williams.
Annual Report adopted on 6 November was incomplete
The Redland City Council 2018/19 Annual Report adopted on 6 November included details of two misconduct orders against Cr Paul Gleeson but omitted details of a misconduct order against Mayor Karen Williams.
The missing misconduct order, issued during the 2018/19 financial year, was for Mayor Williams’ failure to declare her conflict of interest when the Council was discussing Darwalla’s plans to build a power station at Mt Cotton.
A “fabulous coffee table book” says Cr Peter Mitchell
At the Council meeting on 6 November 2019 several councillors chose to comment on the proposed 2018/19 Annual Report. Cr Peter Mitchell provided a glowing endorsement, saying:
“I would just like to point out to the gallery and the media and everyone present how much quality information that this council does push out and it’s accurate and audited and given freely and openly and we don’t always get the credit for that and it’s a fantastic amount of information if you want to go looking at really what is happening and this annual report is just another example of that and it’s a fabulous coffee table book if you want to print it off and have it there and I would like to think that everyone in the community would find something in there that they don’t know about council that makes them very very proud and this information is out there it’s open it’s public it’s audited and it’s there every day of the week.”
Cr Wendy Boglary said that unlike the Council’s media releases which often talk about what might happen, the Annual Report deals with what has actually happened.
The Annual Report was adopted in a 10/1 vote with only Cr Paul Gleeson opposing the motion. He was not one of the seven councillors to speak about this item so his reasons for voting against adoption of the Annual Report are unknown. Cr Gleeson is chair of the Council’s Audit Committee.
The seven minute discussion about item 13.4 Adoption of Annual Report 2018/19 can be viewed on the Council’s meeting video recording commencing at 1:03:52 .
Fixing the Council’s 2018/19 Annual Report
It took only 15 seconds for the Council to rectify its error of omission by adopting an amended Annual Report two weeks later, on 20 November. This item (13.4) can be viewed on the Council’s meeting video recording commencing at 0:51:02 (and finishing at 0:51:17).
On this occasion there were no speakers and the motion to adopt the amended annual report was adopted unanimously 10/0.
Cr Paul Gleeson, who had voted against the adoption of the incomplete Annual Report on 6 November, was not at the 20 November Council meeting. Councillors voted (9/1) earlier in the meeting to grant Cr Gleeson a leave of absence without any explanation.
In recommending adoption of the amended report the officers’ report (refer item 13.4) said:
“An administrative error has been identified which resulted in incorrect figures being supplied for Mayor and Councillor Conduct in the report adopted at the meeting on 6 November 2019.”
Whilst the draft Annual Report is compiled by council officers, the responsibility for the document’s correctness rests with elected councillors.
Many councillors pay close attention to what each Annual Report says about their remuneration, expenses and any conduct breaches.
Changes to page 133 of the 2018/19 Annual Report are shown below, with annotation in colour by Redlands2030
The amended version of the 2018/19 Annual Report is now available on the Council’s website.
Government checklist for Annual Report preparation
Detailed instructions for ensuring that annual reports comply with legal requirements are issued each year by the State Government’s Department of Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs. For last financial year, these instructions were set out in an eleven page publicly available document, the Annual Report Compliance Checklist 2018-19.
During the 2018/19 reporting year there were changes to legislative requirements which took effect on 3 December 2018 which meant that from this date councils had different reporting obligations on orders relating to councillors’ misconduct or inappropriate conduct. The Compliance Checklist spells out the different reporting requirements for the period up to 2 December 2018 and the period from 3 December onward.
For the period up to 2 December 2018, the Compliance Checklist says that a council’s annual report must include each of the following during the financial year:
- The name of each Councillor for whom an order or recommendation was made under section 180 of the Act or an order was made under section 181 of the Act
- A description of the misconduct or inappropriate conduct engaged in by each of the Councillors
- A summary of the recommendation made for each Councillor.
How hard can it be to complete the Council’s Annual Report when the Government spells out exactly how the job is to be done?
Fortunately, on this occasion a significant error of omission was picked up quickly and the Council acted to ensure full compliance with its statutory reporting requirements.
Redlands2030 – 24 November 2019
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3 Comments
This lot make dumb and dumber look smart. It’s hard to single one out for criticism when all are either incompetent or acting dumb.
Re Misconduct order against Mayor Karen Williams on Darwalla’s plans to build a power station at Mt Cotton. Locals strongly objected to this project affecting liveability by having to endure truckloads of ‘chicken manure’ being trucked onto the site on a regular basis. Birkdale Progress Association were required to pay a fine of, if I recall correctly, $2000 for having supported the local community against this project going ahead. As member of BPA, I was required to pay my share and in order to raise funds, suggested arranging a ‘garage sale’. This was done at home of a member in Birkdale, and, having contributed $100, in event of shortage in amount required, had the money returned to me having had a successful garage sale. Member of BPA accompanied me to Logan Tree Farm to purchase a LilyPily tree with the $100, Council Parks workers planted for me beside bus shelter on Finucane Rd opposite Willard Rd former black spot where we have witnessed deaths & injuries from vehicles turning into flowing traffic towards 4-way intersection… now fixed, but in recent times another death at the new turnaround….said to be too close to Finucane/Elmhurst St intersection where locals are calling for lights…confirmed by State Govt Premier as a ‘dangerous’ road. Yet…Redland City & State Govt heavyweights approve building 3,600 apts on Toondah Harbour & surrounds? Are they all walking around with blinkers on…they don’t see the chaos, pollution and ill health they continue to create on our community and roadways?
Redland City Council (RCC) has signed what it refers to as a binding agreement with Walker Corporation on the Toondah Proposal. According to the Mayor and to Andrew Ross (legal representative) that agreement cannot be fully divulged to the public due to “commercial in confidence.” It has become very clear over this last two years that RCC has signed this agreement without fully considering the impact of such a commercial venture on the Ramsar International Convention. I attended the Council meeting on 20/11/19 and have just listened to the council video recording of that meeting, available above. At 1 hour and 4.56 minutes of proceedings Cr Talty stated that the Ramsar Convention is a “Federal and State environment matter …. well outside the auspices of this Council.” If other councillors are of the same view as Cr Talty this may well explain why the Council now finds itself in the position it is in with regard to the agreement with Walker Corporation on the Toondah Proposal.