December 31, 2018
Here is a copy of two emails sent to the decision-makers at Boroondara arguing against the decision to shaft Coral Ross as MAV President by cancelling her position as delegate.
Friday, December 16, 2016
Dear Boroondara Councillors and
senior executives,
By now most of you have probably
worked out that your council's disgraceful decision to deny Cr Coral Ross an
opportunity to contest the MAV presidency is a high risk public relations
disaster. It looks petty and nasty and is bringing Boroondara into disrepute.
Having a male mayor writing this
letter to his female colleague trying to rationalise such a vindictive move is
highly embarrassing.
If not fixed quickly, this
decision will plague your entire term, damage the Liberal Party brand and raise
the prospect of a formal intervention by the state government against
Boroondara, as has been seen in Darebin, Geelong, Casey, Wangaratta and
Brimbank in recent years.
There are also many holes in the
mayor's arguments, the most obvious being the fact you are paid up as MAV
members until June 30, 2017, so why not remain represented until that time?
In outlining long-term concerns
and the need for leadership change at MAV, the mayor's letter ignores the fact
the long-serving MAV President Bill McArthur was defeated in October and that
CEO Rob Spence will finish his final contract at the end of 2017.
Your representative on the MAV
board has been a force for change. Why not let her
remain to drive cultural change?
As you all know, the MAV is a
rural gerrymander which too often downplays metropolitan issues and interests.
By removing the most viable
metropolitan Presidential candidate, your actions run the risk antagonising so many
of your fellow metropolitan councils by removing the candidate many of them
want to lead the reform program at MAV.
If the long-serving Boroondara
mayor, who I've never seen at an MAV event over the past 8 years, is going to
be intransigent on these issues, then it is up to the other Boroondara
councillors, particularly the 5 females, to intervene and call a special
council meeting to reverse this decision.
The officers also need to be
stronger in the advice they are providing. You don't all want to be plagued
with questions about this issue when you move about the community over the
summer months.
It only requires three
councillors to call a special meeting and the sole business of the meeting
should read as follows:
“That council appoints Cr Coral
Ross as MAV delegate until June 30, 2017, in order to support her run at the
MAV Presidency in early 2017.”
I look forward to hearing when 3
of you have decided to go down this path.
Finally, I note the mayor's
comment to The Progress Leader comparing confidentiality at Boroondara and City
of Melbourne.
He chose to use a very selective
statistic. The full Melbourne transparency reform program is outlined here.
You have a long way to go,
including issues such as disclosing your lease register, property valuations
and senior executive contract details, just to name a few.
Sadly, Boroondara was even
adversely mentioned on p40 of yesterday's Ombudsman's report into local
government transparency, courtesy of your attempt to stymie public question time.
At the very least you should
call a public council meeting so that other councils can formally submit into
the decision-making process and then all 10 of your councillors can speak for
themselves. If you provided an audio recording of your council meetings like
Melbourne does, other interested parties could then listen to the debate as
well.
At is stands presently, we don't
even know what the vote was, who presented what arguments or how individual
councillors voted. This is hardly transparent on such a high profile and
controversial decision.
Yours Sincerely
Stephen Mayne
First email on Thursday, December 15, 2016
Dear Boroondara councillors,
What on earth are you doing to the MAV President?
For your information, I wrote the following piece which has
just appeared in today's edition of Crikey:
Liberal Party ‘woman problem'
rears its ugly head in Boroondara. The
Victorian Liberals have long struggled to get women into Parliament, and the
perception of male dominance is continuing within the boundaries of Josh
Frydenberg's seat of Kooyong. The women of Boroondara in Melbourne's leafy
suburbs are issuing a call to action after the most Liberal-dominated local
council in Victoria on Monday voted to pull the rug out from under popular
Municipal Association of Victoria president Coral Ross.
Ross, a well respected independent, was
elected acting president of the MAV after long-serving president Bill McArthur
was ejected by his local constituents in the Shire of Golden Plains at
Victoria's statewide council elections in October.
The MAV is one of the last bastions of male
dominance in Victorian politics. Formed in 1878 by an act of Parliament, it has
never had a female president elected for a full term.
Ross is the third female acting president
who has taken over from a bloke who failed to finish his term and was in the
box seat to make history by being elected by the 79 member councils to be
president for a full two-year term at the upcoming elections in February.
Alas, her Boroondara
colleagues have just voted
in a confidential session on Monday night “not to appoint a representative to
the Municipal Association of Victoria”, which means the incumbent president
won't even be able to run.
The hand of young turk hard right state
Liberal Member
for Hawthorn Tim Smith has been seen influencing decision, despite lobbying
from a range of people, including his boss, state opposition leader Matthew
Guy.
Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins
is also not amused, and pressure is already being brought to bear to call a
special council meeting to reverse the decision.
Liberal mayor Philip Healy has the power to
call such a meeting, as do any
three of these 10 councillors. Watch this space.
ends
Coincidentally, the Victorian Ombudsman has today released a
184 page report criticising the lack of transparency of local government
decision making.
Could someone please explain why you have pulled out of the
MAV in a confidential vote without first consulting with your community or
interested stakeholders?
Could you also please ensure a media release is issued
explaining your decision. In that media release, it would also be helpful if
the official advice from officers on withdrawing from the MAV could also be
explained.
Once you do take the temperature on the inevitable backlash
against your ill-considered decision, could you also please get on with the
business of calling a special council meeting to reverse the decision.
You have already paid Boroondara ratepayer funds to be a
member of the MAV until June 30, 2017.
By all means pull out then, but it makes no sense to
withdraw your delegate when she has just been elected MAV President and you are
paid up for the next 7 months.
If any of you would like to discuss this matter, feel free
to call. I will also be writing a piece for The Mayne Report which will be
emailed to councillors and local government officers across Australia.
I will be including the explanation of the decision from
each of you, if it is provided. A no comment response or no reply will also be
noted.
Please note that Cr Ross was not aware I was proposing to
write to you or write that piece in Crikey. She has no influence over what I'll
be saying and doing about this in the period ahead.
Advocating for better treatment of women is something I've
been doing for many years as this video from 2010 demonstrates.
It is important to call out discrimination or unconscious
bias when it occurs and that's what this communication to you is attempting to
do.
Please don't bring your council into disrepute on gender
relations by digging in and it should be the longer serving experienced
councillors who take the lead on finding a solution.
Finally, here is the text of a press release which ALGWA has
just released:
MEDIA RELEASE
ALGWA slams Boroondara Council on banning of MAV delegate
The Australian Local Government Women's Association, and in particular the Victorian Branch, is bitterly
disappointed at the action of the Boroondara Council in deciding, in a closed
meeting, not to appoint a delegate to the Municipal Association of Victoria
(MAV).
This unprecedented action by Boroondara Council will result in Cr Coral
Ross, who is the Interim MAV President and its current MAV representative,
being unable to stand for President of the Board in the forthcoming elections
to the State's peak local government body.
"Cr Ross is the highest ranked female councillor in Victorian local
government, being the Interim President of the MAV and on the Australian Local
Government Association Board, " said ALGWA Vic President Helen Coleman.
"It is a travesty that her local council has decided not to appoint
a MAV delegate, a prerequisite to standing for election, and therefore
depriving the sector of her leadership and of someone who has always been a
strong voice for local government. I'm surprised regarding Boroondara's actions
from two perspectives, firstly not availing the Boroondara Council of the
prospect of having a much prized “seat at the MAV's decision making
table”, and secondly what appears to be a deliberate and ludicrous decision to
deny a highly respected Councillor the opportunity to represent ALL genders on
the leading Local Government body. This is a ‘No Win” outcome for the
“home side” – or for all other Local Governments in Victoria.”
"Without a representative Boroondara Council will be paying its
membership fee and waiving its right to be part of important decision making at
the Victorian Local Government peak body level," added Ms Coleman
Kind regards
Stephen Mayne
Director, Australian Shareholders' Association
Publisher: www.maynereport.com
Founder: www.crikey.com.au
Freelance Journalist
Former Finance and Governance Committee chair, City of Melbourne
Twitter: @maynereport
Who's who at City of Boroondara?
Phillip Healey: only narrowly survived last election in a two-horse field. Long-time Liberal councillor and mayor this year who has never liked the MAV and wants to demonstrate some muscular power now that the Liberals have more influence at Boroondara than any other Victorian council. His Studley ward largely falls in within Tim Smith's state seat of Kew.
Jim Parke: former Liberal Party member and a controversial lawyer, car park ticket issuer and debt collector whose practices have been criticised in Parliament and at MAV forums. Lists "pistol shooting" as one of his favourite recreations. Returned uncontested in Bellevue ward which falls entirely within Tim Smith's state seat of Kew. Was mayor in 2015-16 when he demonstrated a strong anti-MAV position. Also lead the charge to weaken Boroondara's public questions regime as was outlined on page 40 of the recent Ombudsman's report into local government transparency.
Cynthia Watson: new Liberal councillor in the Maranoa ward who was encouraged to run by her local Liberal member Tim Smith. Much of Maranoa falls within Smith's seat of Kew. She was elected with the benefit of the donkey vote after the incumbent didn't recontest. Regarded as being influenced by the Liberal men who are targeting Coral Ross.
Jack Wegman: veteran former mayor who has taken a paid gig as a gun lobbyist in recent times, but has become embroiled in litigation with warring factions at the Sporting Shooters Association. See recent Herald Sun picture with an adler shotgun.
Felicity Sinfield: assisted by the donkey vote in defeating Cotham ward incumbent Judith Voce. Liberal Party member and police officer. Regarded as being influenced by local state Liberal member Tim Smith. Ward falls entirely within Smith's seat of Kew.
Steve Hurd: only narrowly re-elected with the assistance of the donkey vote in Glenferrie ward in a big field of 6 candidates.
Garry Thompson: architect and new councillor whose Solway ward is at the southern end of Boroondara, away from Tim Smith's seat of Kew.
Lisa Hollingsworth: 5th generation Boroondara resident who was only narrowly elected in Lynden ward.
Jane Addis: 40 year Canterbury veteran who got the biggest primary vote of any incumbent in the Maling ward.
Coral Ross: attracted an impressive primary vote of 63% when re-elected in the Gardiner ward in October. As noted by ALGWA, Coral is the highest ranking female councillor in Victoria and current Acting MAV President. Regarded as a good prospect to become the first elected MAV President to serve a full-term, until had the rug pulled by the local Liberal men and some of their fellow travellers.
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