As the four-year term for Hume City councillors comes to an end, with elections taking place in October, Cllr Carly Moore wants all members in the council’s new $2.7m chamber for the final two meetings.
However, Cllr Trevor Dance says the chamber is not a safe place, and officers have advised Cllr Moore that councillors can ask to attend meetings remotely. It seems Cllr Moore is upset that Cllr Dance prefers to attend meetings online.
Cllr Jodi Jackson has attended online since May 2021 – saying she doesn’t feel safe in the chamber – although she attended in person on Monday 9 September when Cllr Moore made her announcement. She wants the meetings of Monday 23 September and Monday 14 October to be held “wholly in person”.
Cllr Moore introduced her notice of motion, seconded by Cllr Jarrod Bell, saying her request isn’t about prohibiting online attendance (which she is unable to do under the Local Government act).
“This motion is about ensuring that logging on remotely is not the default position. That we don’t get through almost four years of meetings without councillors ever having come to a meeting in person.”
Cllr Moore said physically turning up is important, and that she has seen comments that it is more efficient to log in remotely.
“To me there is enormous value in building constructive relationships with my councillor colleagues and with council officers,” said Cllr Moore.
Cllr Moore said active participation in decision making, effective representation of community interests, and contributions to strategic planning “are all best achieved through regular in-person meetings – according to me”.
“In my opinion, persistent remote attendance can undermine these essential duties,” said Cllr Moore.
Cllr Jodi Jackson said the cost of attending a council meeting online is $12.48 to ratepayers, while council pays more than $98,000 a year to cater for those who attend meetings in person.
Cllr Trevor Dance said: “Why are we wasting time on if a councillor is in-person or not? We all know it is directed at me tonight.
“The public do not care either way, so long as their issues are followed up and they get value for their rates.
“I have raised more issues than the mayor and councillors combined. That is the proof of what I’m doing, with the real people. Not just shacking up down at the new $2.7 million council chamber.
“I have learned today (Monday 9 September) that eight Hume City councillors signed a letter to the Victorian government (Mike Gooey, executive director, Local Government Victoria) on 4 September 2024 requesting that in-person attendance be included in the new code of conduct that is being drafted, that was shared with The Age newspaper.
“One could suggest that all eight councillors have a conflict of interest in this notice of motion. Time will tell on that one.
“They are all from the Labor Party caucus, six of them, including Sunbury councillor Bell, plus councillor (Jack) Medcraft (Independent), plus councillor (Jim) Overend.
“The council chamber is not a safe place.”
Cllr Dance referred to the Local Government act saying it doesn’t state if councillors should turn up or not, only how meetings should be run.
“The motion is highly inconsistent with the Local Government act,” he said. “You cannot deny a councillor from attending by electronic means.”
Cllr Dance claimed Cllr Moore’s notice of motion is invalid and should have been rejected by council’s governance staff, said it may breach the Local Government act, and could breach the Charter of Human Rights.
“We have seen council candidate Daniel English, councillor Moore’s brother-in-law, put in questions about attendances online,” said Cllr Dance.
Council staff advised councillors that any councillor may request to attend by electronic
means in accordance with s.77.4 of the Governance Rules.
The majority of councillors voted in favour of Cllr Moore’s motion, with Cllrs Dance and Jackson voting against it.
The number of meetings attended remotely by each councillor between November 2020 and July 2024 is:
- Jarrod Bell 19
- Trevor Dance 72
- Joseph Haweil 26
- Chris Hollow 26
- Jodi Jackson 66
- Naim Kurt 19
- Jack Medcraft 22
- Sam Misho 30
- Carly Moore 26
- Jim Overend 20
- Karen Sherry 20
