EDITORIAL 

STRATHBOGIE Shire ratepayers deserve a proper explanation for why they will foot the bill for a fourth municipal monitor since 2021.

The one-year appointment will follow the election of councillors in October, the State Government announced last week.

Our previous three monitor appointments – Janet Dore twice, in 2021 and 2022, and Peter Stephenson in 2023 – were prompted by concerns regarding a poorly functioning group of councillors.

The problem, Mr Stephenson wrote last year, rested “predominantly with the councillors”.

But next term, there will be new councillors.

And, who knows, the new group of councillors might turn out to be the best functioning in the state – why shouldn’t it?

Local Government Minister Melissa Horne appears to think otherwise – that there’s something in the air around here which produces subpar councillors.

The official explanation given by her office does not address the question of why ratepayers will be penalised for the actions of a dismissed council group, before new councillors have been given a shot to prove themselves.

The measure will “support the transition back to elected councillors and ensure good governance practices,” a government media release stated.

“The monitors will... help prevent the recurrence of issues that led to each council’s dismissal,” the media release continued.

Asked by The Euroa Gazette why there is any reason to believe those issues will recur under a different council, a government spokesman offered: “Municipal monitors appointed to councils have proven to be effective in making governance improvements and helping councils better serve their communities.”

That might be true, but it does not explain why improvements are needed in a council group that does not yet exist.

In lieu of an adult-to-adult explanation, the government’s manicured, empty one-liners show a disregard for accountability, while insulting the public's intelligence.

Tony Raunic, a local government lawyer and former Shire of Nillumbik mayor, last week told the Gazette he suspects the government is motivated by a concern that dismissed councillors will end up re-elected.

If that is indeed their concern, it is unsurprising they would not admit it publicly.

In the case of Strathbogie Shire, that concern would also be misguided and premature.

While three suspended councillors have confirmed they will stand for re-election, they may not succeed, and even if they do, remember that previous municipal Peter Stephenson has said the conduct of some councillors was significantly better than others.

When he recommended suspending all councillors, he did so knowing the government could not at that time suspend individual councillors – something which is now a possibility, thanks to new legislation.

Maybe Minister Horne made a good decision that will serve the shire well.

Without a better explanation, or genuine public dialogue, it is hard to know.