A request by Sunbury councillor Trevor Dance that Hume City Council publish a line-by-line list of its income and expenditure was sunk by just one vote at this week’s meeting of the full council. His motion was lost 6 votes to 5.
Cllr Dance first asked for the accounts to be released last year, so he and others can examine where ratepayers’ money goes.
“Councillors over many years could not say confidently they have assured they were fully informed on all budget matters, when you haven’t been given the budget line-by-line,” he told those at the Monday 15 April meeting. “Councillors are ultimately responsible.”
He said councillors are only provided with an overview of the council’s budget by its finance department.
Council staff suggested the threshold for a line-by-line budget – should it be published – go no lower than items valued at $50,000, keeping smaller amounts off the ledger.
“Those in business know that high amounts are not always the issue, it is the numerous small amounts where money can be wasted,” said Cllr Dance. “Why not show us [the full accounts], what is there to hide? Why the big deal?”
Cllr Karen Sherry, the council’s deputy mayor, said its audit and risk committee has “rolling audits” on fraud, perhaps forgetting the minutes of this committee dating back to 2022 remain confidential, and so hidden from public scrutiny.
Aitken ward Cllr Joseph Haweil asked if it would be an onerous task for staff to produce a line-by-line budget for councillors. Fadi Srour, chief finance officer, finance & governance, said it would be simple.
Cllr Haweil then asked if council staff were concerned about a significant amount of questions, should the accounts be published.
Mr Srour said, without answering Cllr Haweil’s question, that publishing accounts down to items valued at $5,000 would produce a document with 10,000 line items.
Cllr Haweil said officers have provided councillors with the budget in its entirety in the past.
When the vote to publish the council’s accounts came, those in favour were: Cllrs Dance, Jackson, Misho, Haweil, and Overend. Those opposed: Medcraft, Bell, Kurt, Sherry, Moore, and Hollow.
