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Thursday, 16 January, 2020
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Brooklyn Davis of Cranbourne enjoys the day's entertainment. 203117 Picture: GARY SISSONS
Family fun at the cricket By Brendan Rees There were smiles all-round at Devon Meadows Cricket Club on Sunday 12 January. The club held their annual Family Day, which was presented by Paint Place Cranbourne, included face painting, raffles, a jumping castle, a colouring-in competition with winning vouchers from SportsPower Cranbourne, a fire truck display from Devon Meadows Fire Brigade, a cricket clinic, and a guest appearance from the Melbourne Stars' mascot Starman as well as the club's own Tibbs. First National Real Estate Finning also offered $100 cash to the first person in the crowd to catch a six during a one-day clash between Devon Meadows and Tooradin.
Planning retreat By Brendan Rees Casey councillors will no longer determine planning matters as they give up their rights to vote on planning applications in the wake of the IBAC corruption investigation. At an extraordinary special meeting on New Year's Eve, seven of the 11 elected councillors in attendance voted to establish a new Special Planning Committee and relinquish their planning decision rights. It comes as the IBAC Operation Sandon inquiry alleged dirty deals at Casey Council in relation to planning and property development decisions. The Special Committee, established under the Local Government Act 1989, will have delegated decision-making authority under the
Planning and Environment Act. It will include two independent members whose appointments will be considered at council's meeting on 21 January. Councillors voted Cr Rex Flannery as the only councillor to act as council's delegate on the committee. "It will not replace our role as councillors or take away the community's voice," Casey mayor Susan Serey said. "This enables council to fulfil its obligations as a responsible authority in a timely fashion, protects applicant and objector rights and protects the integrity of decisions being made whilst the IBAC investigations are underway," she added. It is anticipated that the Special Committee will meet monthly, starting in February 2020 which will be open to the public.
Casey Residents and Ratepayers Association spokesman Brendan Browne said the Special Committee was a "poor substitute for a properly functioning council" and called for the council's dismissal. "We now have an absurd situation where public confidence is so low, that council is voting to remove 10 Councillors from planning decisions," he said. A spokeswoman of the Save the Casey Foothills Association, Rosalie Counsell, said: "The blatancy of this suspect move serves only to illustrate the urgency of government intervention." Meanwhile, Casey Council confirmed an incident whereby faeces had been mailed to one councillor. Cr Sam Aziz's whereabouts is also still un-
known. He flew to Egypt late last year prior to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission hearings being held which alleged he pocketed $900,000 from property developers. Casey's manager of governance Holly De Kretser said Cr Aziz and Cr Geoff Ablett currently remain elected councillors and continued to receive a councillor allowance - which is the case for all councillors. Cr Aziz and Cr Ablett's leave of absence ended on 31 December and the next opportunity for them to apply for further leave will be at council's meeting on 21 January. IBAC public hearings into allegations of serious corrupt conduct in relation to planning and property development decisions at the City of Casey council will resume on 2 March.
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