Frankston
& ASSOCIATES PTY LTD PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
ÌTax Returns Advisors ÌBusiness 21 Half Price ÌUnder ÌOn The Spot Tax Refunds
Basic, Business, Rental Properties
YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON THIS WEEKEND FOR PENINSULA FAMILIES
Ph: 9769 6660
FACEBOOK:
peninsulakids.com.au INSTRGRAM: mornpenkids
Shop 61 Station St Mall, Frankston
An independent voice for the community
Your weekly community newspaper covering Frankston, Frankston South, Karingal, Langwarrin and Seaford For all advertising and editorial needs, call 03
FREE
Open Evenings & Saturdays
Monday 19 December 2016
5973 6424 or email: team@baysidenews.com.au www.baysidenews.com.au
Sensitive Santa JOHN Zammit is happy to step in for Santa to speak to autistic and other special needs children who may be frightened by the traditional noise and excitement of Christmas. See Page 6. Picture: Gary Sissons
‘Secret’ meeting slammed Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au
FRANKSTON Council has been forced to admit a meeting held behind closed doors in June did not comply with the Local Government Act. The Victorian Ombudsman investigated a closed Special Meeting called by three councillors – Crs Brian Cunial, Glenn Aitken and Colin Hampton – to discuss comments made by councillors on social media sites such as Facebook (“Hidden agenda for secret council meeting”, The Times 20/6/16). The Ombudsman’s office released an Investigation into the transparency of local government decision making report on Friday (16 December) that found some councils had “poor practice” around transparency despite no evidence of “widespread, deliberate, secretive behaviour”. Frankston Council was used as a case study to show why council meetings should not be held in private “to avoid embarrassment”. An unnamed councillor told the Ombudsman’s office during the course of the watchdog’s investigation it was decided that a public meeting “would be likely to attract negative media coverage”. A councillor “who called the meeting” and was concerned about potentially slanderous comments on Facebook told the Ombudsman: “I said this is getting completely out of
small, powerful hearing aids
)5Ʃ( 30 days hearing aid trials, no cost, no obligation.
)5Ʃ( Hearing aids to Pensioners*
)5Ʃ( 12 months maintenance for relocated Pensioners* *Subject to eligibility criteria through the Australian Pension Scheme.
1/7 Davies Avenue, Mount Eliza (03) 9708 8626 URELQWKHÀUVW#JPDLO FRP
Robin Tu
Hearing Care Professional Audiologist
hand. I said we need to have a meeting. We need to get these people, get them in that room and rip the stuffing out of them over this. Just rip the stuffing out of them. I said this has gone on too long.” Cr Cunial, now mayor, publicly questioned The Times reporting at the time that noted four councillors did not attend the confidential meeting since they feared “an ambush” by “a gang of five” councillors after two years of animosity between councillors. “There was an article in the paper a week or two ago … which is very well written by a very experienced reporter, but I think the information provided to the reporter may not be completely accurate,” Cr Cunial said at council’s July meeting. “I was a little disappointed after I read it … reporters can only write based on the information they’re given. It’s clear that whoever provided the information perhaps was a little biased.” No agenda for the meeting was provided by council when requested by The Times and no public notice about the meeting could be found on council’s website. No link to a web page advertising the 15 June meeting, published online on 9 June, was provided on the page of council’s website that lists meeting dates so the page was effectively hidden from view on the site. Continued Page 5