By Luke Voogt
A split has emerged in Geelong’s business community, with two prominent figures clashing over recent efforts to delay local democracy.
Council hopeful and Kings Funerals boss Michael King condemned a Geelong delegation of “faceless men and women” to Victorian Parliament to “deny” ratepayers “their democratic rights”.
“These lobby groups are often heard to say that Geelong needs one voice and they are right,” he said.
“It should be the council led by the community’s elected representatives.”
But former Geelong mayor and businessman Keith Fagg said the city’s state-appointed administrators needed more time to change the culture of City Hall.
“Organisations, particularly one of that size, do not change overnight.”
Mr King slammed the Committee for Geelong led delegation, which requested an extension the administrators’ tenure and a postponement of council elections last Thursday.
“These 20 people should stand up and own their anti-democratic beliefs, rather than working behind the scenes on cosy backroom deals,” Mr King said.
“These lobby groups are trying to hold on to the additional power they have gained in the vacuum left by the sacked council.”
The State Government appointed the administrators after it sacked council in April 2016. But it reduced their term to 18 months following parliamentary pressure from the Coalition and the Greens.
The visit coincided with the administrators reporting to State Government on their progress to date.
Mr King accused the delegation of attempting to remain secret to avoid the public seeing its “fingerprints all over this attempt to influence … Geelong’s future”.
“This meeting was not announced publicly,” he said.
“If the people in this delegation want a say in the future direction of Geelong, they can put their hands up to be elected.”
Mr King also questioned the City Hall’s Corporate Plus membership of the Committee for Geelong.
“The administrators are paying $25,000 a year of ratepayers’ money to a group that is putting intense pressure on the government to extend the administrators’ tenure.”
Mr King added the government should have appointed the administrators full-time if it had concerns about them having enough time to effect change.
But Mr Fagg said the administrators needed more time to implement changes recommended by the commission of inquiry report.
“Go back to what the actual commission has found.”
Mr Fagg described the report as the “deepest and most comprehensive” report ever into Geelong Council and said it revealed major shortcomings in governance and culture.
As Geelong’s first popularly elected mayor, Mr Fagg said he experienced these issues first-hand. He resigned due to stress and bullying in 2013, the Indy reported.
“The council was not working nearly as effectively as it could.”
The administrators’ current term was a “political compromise”, Mr Fagg said.
“They need much more than 18 months.“
Mr Fagg said the commissioners who led the inquiry would not have “lightly ” recommended a four-and-a-half year term for the administrators.
