Battle begins

SHELLHARBOUR Councillors and staff are fraught with trepidation due to the impact of indiscretions that have led to the unprecedented action by council to take two of its councillors and a former councillor to court over alleged unauthorised disclosure of confidential council information.

In a bid to track down the offenders who are believed to have leaked information to a community website, the Land and Environment Court has ordered the three to face court.

A timetable has been set down for Cr's Helen Stewart, Geoff Rose and former councillor, Leon Cicolini to file evidence and the matter has been listed for hearing to commence on July 31.

Shellharbour mayor, David Hamilton said the investigation was essential because "a council cannot carry out its day-to-day business in a professionally responsible manner if the confidentiality of highly sensitive and commercially based documents cannot be maintained."

The Department of Local Government's Director General has pledged the department's full support for council undertaking an investigation into the source of the leaks.

Cr Hamilton said the possibility that someone within council was leaking documents was first highlighted with the leaking of a Mayoral report regarding the General Manager's re-appointment.

Soon after, the Department of Local Government's draft Promoting Better Practice report was leaked to a website and to local media within hours of its distribution to Councillors, according to a council source.

At an extraordinary meeting to consider re-appointment of the General Manager, all councillors handed in their business papers at the conclusion of the meting as a show of solidarity that confidentiality would be maintained.

In a matter of hours, the GM's projected renumeration for the four years of his contract was placed on the website.

Of most concern to council is the website's allegation that some ten years of confidential council business papers and minutes had been received, with portions being posted on the website.

Cr Hamilton said the actions of the offenders were "outrageous.'

"They are out to destroy Shellharbour Council and it's ratepayers' money they are wasting," he said.

The general consensus on the issue is that had the guilty parties put their hands up at the beginning, it could have been a code of conduct issue with a "?slap on the wrist," thus avoiding an extensive and expensive investigation.

" I will not play games,' Cr Hamilton said.

"This is serious.

"Council has to function for the benefit of all ratepayers and it is the responsibility of the mayor and councillors to put an end to this.

"It is sad that it will have to be done in a law court."

General Manager, Brian Weir, said he looked forward to making a public statement as soon as he was able.

"There is much I want to say to clear the air and satisfy the community as to the justification in undertaking this investigation."