The NSW Government recently commissioned an independent review of the councillor misconduct framework and has committed to delivering reform in the coming months.
What I look forward to the most is the introduction of an independent Councillor Conduct Review Panel. This replaces the current system where the General Manager is tasked with deciding whether a Code of Conduct complaint is worthy of investigation, and then gets to handpick the investigator. I’ve spoken to other councillors (outside of Ku-ring-gai) who say that investigations have sometimes felt frivolous and selective, funded by the ratepayer while the accused has to pay legal expenses out of pocket. It has the effect of silencing alternate views.
The new framework including the independent panel is expected to commence 1 January 2024.
🔍 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸
The NSW Government recently commissioned an independent review of the councillor misconduct framework and has committed to delivering reform in the coming months.
What I look forward to the most is the introduction of an independent Councillor Conduct Review Panel. This replaces the current system where the General Manager is tasked with deciding whether a Code of Conduct complaint is worthy of investigation, and then gets to handpick the investigator. I’ve spoken to other councillors (outside of Ku-ring-gai) who say that investigations have sometimes felt frivolous and selective, funded by the ratepayer while the accused has to pay legal expenses out of pocket. It has the effect of silencing alternate views.
The new framework including the independent panel is expected to commence 1 January 2024.
