Melton councillors have rejected a bid to make their travel expenses more transparent, saying the proposal was “unreasonable and unnecessary”.
Watts ward councillor Lara Carli put forward a motion at last week’s meeting calling for councillors’ attendance at local, interstate and international conferences, seminars, forums and training courses to be “democratically” voted on if it was costing ratepayers.
She wanted councillors to prepare reports outlining what role they played, what they learned and the purpose of the trip and to attach copies of any speeches they made and a statutory declaration.
But councillors Sophie Ramsey, Kathy Majdlik, Nola Dunn, Renata Cugliari and Myles Bentley rejected the motion. Cr Bob Turner was absent.
Cr Ramsey said a statutory declaration requirement was “overkill”.
“The motion in its current form is overly prescriptive, unreasonable and unnecessary and a stat dec is overkill,” she said. “The [Code of Conduct] for councillors advises councillors to act honestly. Additional requirements such as these are simply not required.”
Cr Ramsey said she would have supported the motion had it included only interstate and international seminars and not the statutory declaration element.
Cr Ramsey, along with CEO Kel Tori and council officer Peter Blunden are scheduled to attend a conference in Mexico next month.
Cr Majdlik asked several times about the guidelines of writing a report, whether it should be two pages or 2000 words, because in its current form the motion was “open to interpretation”.
But Cr Carli responded: “I don’t think I have to give you a guideline on how to write a report.
“If [councillors] can justify to the ratepayers spending their money, they can write a report.”
Cr Majdlik said she wished to defer the item until Cr Carli clarified the “gaps and vague statements”. But Cr Carli replied: “I’m actually trying to contain my laughter. I don’t understand where the confusion is coming from.
“It’s pretty simple. If councillors feel they can go to conferences and use ratepayers’ money, on return they should be able to show us what they’ve learned. If that’s an issue and barriers are put up, they’re afraid.”
Taylors Hill resident Olivia Liron, who attended the meeting, said “blocking” efforts to make councillors’ expenses more accountable and transparent were “pathetic”.
“I don’t think there should be an issue on writing a report when you’re spending my money,” she said.
Councillors’ travel expenses cost ratepayers more than $38,000 in the past financial year.
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