Mayor’s contract, leases face probe

Alex de Vos
Surf Coast Shire’s mayor faces an Ombudsman’s investigation.
The Ombudsman’s legislative compliance director, Dallas Mischkulnig, said Dean Webster faced “enquiries” into his shire contract for grass slashing and “any” leases on council property.
Mr Mischkulnig foreshadowed the probes in a letter to shire councillors who had called for an Ombudsman investigation into Cr Webster’s contract and other potential conflicts-of-interest on council.
A copy of the letter was leaked to the Independent this week.
Mr Mischkulnig’s letter said the Ombudsman’s office had spoken to shire then-acting chief executive officer Stephen Wall and Local Government Victoria about the investigation request.
Mr Mischkulnig said more enquiries were “warranted in relation to…council’s engagement of Mayor Webster’s company to provide grass slashing services (and) council’s alleged failure to record on its register of interest any lease arrangement that the mayor has in relation to council property.”
Mr Mischkulnig said the mayor and other councillors could also face sanctions over conflict-of-interest allegations of voting for organisations with which they were associated.
“Local Government Victoria may pursue enforcement action against individuals who breach the Local Government Act.”
Mr Mischkulnig cleared the mayor and councillors of other concerns raised in the letter from their colleagues, such as making decisions in closed-door briefing sessions.
Cr Webster was confident his contract did not breach the Local Government Act.
“I’m not an employee and since being involved in council I’ve lost half of my work,” he said.
“Before I stood for council four years ago I went through all this with council lawyers and I’m not in breach of the Local Government Act.”
Surf Coast Community and Ratepayers Association president Spencer Leighton said he did not know enough about the investigation to comment but was “happy with the mayor”.