By Callum Ludwig
The Victorian Government has taken the first step in response to the July 2023 Operation Sandon report from the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC), which was sparked by allegations of corrupt conduct involving City of Casey councillors and a property developer.
The State Government has accepted 32 of IBAC’s 34 recommendations either in full or in principle, with one accepted in part.
“Victorians deserve to have trust in the state’s planning system, and we’re accepting these recommendations as part of our work to make sure good decisions are made faster – and more transparently,” said Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny.
A review of the Planning and Environment Act announced as part of last year’s Housing Statement is anticipated to update the guidelines for councils to streamline and strengthen decision-making criteria as well as tighten anti-corruption measures.
“Victorians rightly have high expectations of their local councillors, and these changes will support councillors to serve the interests of their communities,” Minister for Local Government Melissa Horne.
An Inter-departmental Taskforce is set to be created, chaired by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and also featuring senior representatives from the Department of Transport and Planning, Department of Government Services, Victorian Public Sector Commission, Local Government Inspectorate and the Victorian Electoral Commission. The Taskforce will report back on any findings within 18 months.
Reforms of the Local Government Act announced in November 2023 are also set to include mandatory training for elected representatives (including on conflicts of interest), introduce a Councillor Code of Conduct across the state and strengthen the powers of the Minister for Local Government to address councillor conduct.
“Yarra Ranges Council takes governance and Councillor training responsibilities seriously and supports any measures that contribute to strengthening governance practices and Council decision making across Victoria,” said Yarra Ranges Council CEO Tammi Rose.”
“We are currently considering all the Sandon recommendations.”
Other IBAC recommendations include:
Local Government Victoria developing a Model Transparency Policy and ensuring it and Model Governance Rules are clear on the importance of open government and deliberation
Updating Model Governance Rules to expressly prohibit councillors voting ‘en bloc’ (all at the same time) at meetings and require meeting minutes to state the names of councillors who spoke on a motion and voted for or against it
Implement a requirement for councillors to undertake mid-term refresher training on governance, leadership, and integrity
Removing statutory planning responsibilities from councillors and instead introducing determinative planning panels where a local council would have been the responsible authority.
