Melbourne city council [MCC] has urged its Brimbank counterpart to take the “transparency high road” instead of snubbing its push for greater transparency in local government.
Star Weekly revealed in June the council would not support MCC’s raft of new measures, including the full disclosure of wage details of its five most senior officers in annual reports, and providing audio recordings of council meetings.
MCC councillor Stephen Mayne said he was very disappointed when chairman of administrators John Watson voted against his motion at the last Municipal Association of Victoria state council meeting in May.
“As an unelected bureaucrat representing Brimbank at the MAV state council meeting in May, it was surprising and disappointing to see John Watson leading the argument against the MAV better disclosing the contractual arrangements of their senior officers, who are all paid for by ratepayers across Victoria,” Mr Mayne said.
“Given Brimbank’s colourful recent history, in my opinion the administrators should be taking the governance and transparency high road rather than lagging behind more open and accountable councils.”
Mr Mayne, also the founder of Crikey, wrote on its website about the “secretive approach taken by the government-appointed bureaucrats” at Brimbank council.
“She [local government Minister Natalie Hutchins] could just make it a regulation that all councils must reveal the contractual arrangements of their top five executives in the annual report,” he wrote.
“If it’s good enough for public companies, why not councils?”
Mr Mayne said that at the National General Assembly in Canberra, 85 per cent of councils voted against his motion to disclose councillor expense claims online.
Brimbank council declined to comment.
