Farrell ‘code’ investigations

JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
INVESTIGATORS are probing whether Geelong councillor Jan Farrell broke her own code of conduct for councillors when she provided a reference for a glassing thug.
Cr Farrell moved a motion to approve the code at a council meeting in 2009 when she held council’s governance portfolio.
Local Government Investig-ations and Compliance Inspect-orate this week confirmed “a matter regarding to Cr Jan Farrell is being reviewed”.
Mayor John Mitchell is also heading a council investigation into whether Cr Farrell breached the code of conduct.
Cr Farrell provided a court reference on council letterhead last month for family friend Tobias Sheehan who had pleaded guilty to serious assault over the glassing. He was later convicted and jailed.
A council bid to depose Cr Farrell from her community safety portfolio failed last week.
The Independent has discovered that Sheehan was suspended for four matches when playing for Forrest Football Club in 2009.
Football Geelong records show he received a one-match set penalty for rough conduct on May 30 and a three-match ban for abusive language on August 8.
His glassing attack was in October, 2009, at Ocean Grove’s Zebra Crossing Bar.
Cr Farrell has denied compromising her councillor role despite giving evidence citing her portfolio for community safety.
She said she had known Sheehan since he was four and supported him because of her “knowledge of Tobias’s state of mind both two years ago and now”.
Cr Farrell said she was satisfied he would not re-offend.
The code of conduct says councillors must avoid conflicts between public duties and personal interests and obligations.
“These facilities (including letterhead) are provided for use by the councillor in the conduct of their duties of office,” the code says.
“Care must be exercised to ensure that correspondence does not commit council funds or convey a position contrary to that adopted by council.”
Code sanctions include public apologies, sanction motions, loss of access to council facilities or privileges and withdrawal or re-allocation of portfolio responsibilities.