Council adopts new Code of Conduct
June 16, 2016
Colac Otway Shire Council has adopted a new Councillor Code of Conduct to hold Councillors accountable for a high standard of professional and cooperative behaviour.
Mayor Frank Buchanan said the State Government had required all councils to review their codes of conduct by the start of July and Colac Otway had taken the opportunity to put in place a clear set of standards of behaviour for Councillors to follow.
"I believe our new Councillor Code of Conduct represents best practice. It is very clear that higher standards of conduct will be required from now on which is what the community wants to see.
"Our ratepayers have said loud and clear that the behaviour of Councillors has not been acceptable and this new Code of Conduct will set a standard for all Councillors to work together in a mature and respectful way.
"Being a Councillor is a privilege. As community leaders, we should be role models. It is critical that our individual and collective conduct is exemplary at all times," he said.
"Through this code we are saying that we recognise that the behaviour of an individual Councillor reflects on the Council as a whole.
"I am delighted that my fellow Councillors have made a public commitment to fostering strong, courteous and positive working relationships and to treating each other and our staff with dignity and respect, even when there are opposing views on an issue.
"Irrespective of the issue we should always be able to work together constructively," he said.
Cr Buchanan said the new code also set clear expectations and consequences for Councillors who contravened the requirements.
"The requirements include attending at least 80 per cent of Council meetings and briefings to ensure Councillors are fully informed about issues, unless a prior leave of absence is approved by Council.
"This is based on the premise that Councillors have to make a range of incredibly complex and difficult decisions and they can't possibly do this in the best interests of the community if they aren't fully informed about the topic.
"It also includes respecting that the Mayor is the primary spokesperson for Council, unless another Councillor is nominated; and also ensuring that once a decision is made by Council that Councillors respect this majority decision.
"Supporting a majority decision is one of the fundamentals of democracy, and is common practice in other councils across Victoria - as is having allocated spokespeople for issues.
"From here on there will be a clear expectation that issues should be brought to the organisation to act on, not necessarily aired via media channels; it's only when Councillors work with their colleagues and the organisation that constructive criticism is effective and results in positive change," he said.
"These are requirements that are imposed on Council staff - why should Councillors be any different?"
Cr Buchanan said the Code of Conduct didn't in any way restrict councillors from engaging with members of the public.
"We are here to represent our community and Councillors can certainly still discuss matters with residents. They just need to ensure that any issues or concerns raised are passed on to the organisation so that they can be actioned.
"Unfortunately there have been instances where community members have raised issues with Councillors and these have not been passed on to the organisation and as a result, nothing has been done, leaving the community member understandably frustrated."
"It's hard to understand why any Councillor would have an objection to sharing information with the organisation, given this is the only way to action a resident's concerns. What this code does is put this very reasonable requirement in writing."
Cr Buchanan said Councillors were also required under state legislation to sign the Code of Conduct.
"There's no point having a code if it's not adhered to and Councillors are kept accountable to it.
"Ultimately a Councillor's role is to work with his or her colleagues to make good decisions on behalf of our community.
"We are elected to represent the whole community, provide good governance and act as role models to foster community cohesion and encourage active participation in decision making.
"A majority of my fellow councillors endorsed this code as a demonstration of our commitment to work together in a mature and respectful way in the best interests of our community," he said.
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