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MONDAY, 22 FEBRUARY, 2021
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Insufficient evidence for prosecution By MICHELLE SLATER
THE state’s anti-corruption watchdog found it was “likely” that a Latrobe City Council employee falsified records for financial advantage and used council funds to purchase items for personal use. A finding from the Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission handed down in November last year followed allegations against the Latrobe City employee from 2014. The complaint alleged that the employee had inflated attendance records for an aged care community program to obtain “significant additional funding” from the Department of Health and Human Services. It was alleged they engaged in this conduct to obtain a financial advantage by deception on behalf of the council. IBAC investigated allegations the employee falsified records entered in Latrobe City’s database, and investigated irregularities into purchasing food and appliances designated for the program. It also investigated the misuse of a corporate purchasing card and petty cash handling. The investigation concluded it was likely the employee “deliberately overstated the services provided by the council to obtain more than $900,000 in excess funding from the department”. It was also “likely they used the community program’s budget to obtain petty cash and groceries for personal use”. However, due to poor processes and systems, the lack of data meant there was insufficient evidence for IBAC to proceed with a prosecution. IBAC substantiated the allegation that the employee used council funds to purchase several appliances for their personal use, and referred the matter to local police for prosecution. The employee was subsequently charged with three counts of theft. The matter was ultimately discharged on the basis that the accused had successfully completed a diversion plan. IBAC identified a number of corruption vulnerabilities at Latrobe City that had contributed to this conduct continuing undetected for a number of years. This included issues around internal reporting, purchasing procedures, asset management, cash handling and information security.
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MURDER CHARGE A MORWELL man was charged with murder following a fatal assault in Morwell in the early hours of Saturday morning. Emergency services were called to Buckley Street around 12.30am and located a Churchill man in the street with life-threatening
injuries. The Churchill man, 19, was conveyed to hospital, however he later died. The Morwell man, 20, was yesterday charged with one count of murder, in relation to the death. The man has been remanded in custody
to appear at the Latrobe Magistrates’ Court today. The investigation remains ongoing and anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppers vic.com.au.
Chimneys crash down Success: The demolition of the last two chinmeys at the site of the former Morwell Power Station went according to plan on Saturday.
By TESSA RANDELLO
TWO booms echoed through the Latrobe Valley on Saturday morning, as the last two chimneys at the former Morw rwell w Power Station collapsed. The first fii tower fell just after 8.40am and the second at 10.15am as part of the Energy gy y Brix Australia demolition project. Spectators gathered at the old employee carpark on site to watch the 94-metre tall chimneys fall. EBAC remediation general manager Barr rry ry Dungey said that Saturday’s demolition “went exactly to plan”.
“The weather has been pretty quiet, wind-wise, and that was our major risk and we were pretty much on schedule,” Mr Dungey said. “All of the chimneys contain steel and bri rickwork i with virt rtually t no asbestos in the chimneys themselves, but there is asbestos in the base which is still intact so then we go in at the end and remove that.” Mr Dungey said steel from the towers would be sold as scrap in Melbourne and the bricks crushed and used to level the Commercial Road site. Continued on page 7
photograph supplied
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