A new local government law will end the “corruption and dictatorship” which marked the former Brimbank council a scathing Member for Western Metropolitan Region Bernie Finn said in parliament yesterday.
Speaking in support of the Local Government Amendment Performance Reporting and Accountability Bill, which he said would provide a “sense of protection for the people of Brimbank”, Mr Finn took aim at the “dastardly” council which was dismissed in 2008, and former mayor Natalie Suleyman.
“One would hope this bill will go a long way towards ensuring that we never have another Brimbank,” he said.
“When we think of councils in the western suburbs that have brought local government into disrepute, we cannot go past what happened at Brimbank… what we saw there was, quite frankly, disgraceful in every way.”
He also said it was “disgraceful” and an insult to the community that Ms Suleyman was the Labor candidate for the new electorate of St Albans.
“I actually saw her in action at a number of council meetings and was quite amazed at her bullying tactics and her outrageous demeanour,” he said.
“I spoke to a number of my constituents who reported to me that they had been fined, fined, by the mayor, from the chair, during council meetings for daring to question, or attempting to question, her.
“The dictatorship that was the Brimbank City Council really did bring local government in this state into disrepute.
“A good municipal council is a major plus for any community; a bad one can destroy it.”
The Weekly was unable to contact Ms Suleyman for a comment but in an earlier interview she refused to speculate what the community would make of her appointment as the Labor candidate.
“It (the issues of the past) has been dealt with,” she said. “It’s history now. I want to deal with the real issues facing St Albans.”
