Minister sends in deputy

ANTHONY HOY

LOCAL Government Minister Paul Lynch has intervened in Shellharbour City Council's handling of its landmark case in the Land and Environment Court.

The intervention is a direct result of a public dispute involving the Mayor and general manager straight after the most recent council meeting.

Mr Lynch has asked Local Government Deputy Director General Ross Woodward to meet with Mayor David Hamilton and general manager Brian Weir "as a matter of urgency" to "discuss the escalation of the matter".

The Ministerial intervention is confirmation of ongoing government concern about certain procedural and behavioural aspects of the

council's operations.

An earlier departmental review had flagged departmental concerns over the "chaotic nature" of Shellharbour council meetings, with the review team witnessing "numerous acts of disorder at the meeting it attended".

Mr Lynch confirmed to the Lake Times that "the Department has continued to monitor the council's implementation of the recommendations arising from the review report".

Although the latest incident took place in public and immediately after a council meeting, it was in the council chamber.

It also recommended that "The Mayor should consider consulting other skilled or experienced mayors for advice and strategies for maintaining order at meetings".

On completion of the council meeting on Tuesday, September 25, Mr Weir had interrupted a private discussion between a member of the public and a reporter from another newspaper, and had snatched a document from the reporter's hands.

The document in question was highly critical of the cost of the Land and Environment Court action.

Mr Weir's intervention had sparked a heated public exchange between Cr Hamilton and Cr Helen Stewart, who had defended the member of the public involved in the dispute with Mr Weir.

The Minister's directive, that his departmental deputy inquire into the escalation of council tensions over the ongoing Land and Environment Court case, was in response to questions put to him by the Lake Times.

When questioned about the court action's reported cost of $1 million to ratepayers, and the resultant financial burden on two councillors and a former councillor, the Minister said: "As the Land and Environment Court has not yet determined the case, it would be inappropriate for me to provide further comment on the issue at this time."