MP backs naming of bullies
VICTORIAN MP Simon Ramsay has joined calls for alleged bully councillors to be identified prior to the next Geelong council election.
The Upper House member for Western Victoria said the City of Greater Geelong Culture Review released in 2015 by Australian Human Rights Commissioner Susan Halliday had “failed to publicly name names”.
South Barwon Liberal MP Andrew Katos this week raised the issue of identifying alleged bullies, which, with several candidates considering running again in October’s elections he said would mean ratepayers were fully informed when they went to the polls.
A spokeswoman for Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins has previously said releasing names from the Halliday report was a matter for the City of Greater Geelong, but Mr Ramsay disagreed.
He insisted the alleged bullies could only be named under the privilege of parliament and only then with Ms Hutchins’ authority.
“The action I seek from the minister is to release the names of those listed in the Halliday report or the commission of inquiry as the bullies,” Mr Ramsay said.
He said publicly identifying the accused bullies would also clear the names of innocent councillors.
Of the 13 sacked councillors, John Irvine, Ron Nelson, Eddy Kontelj and Lindsay Ellis have expressed their desire for alleged bullies to be identified to clear their own names.
Mr Irvine this week told the Geelong Advertiser voters “deserve full disclosure” prior to the elections.
Ms Halliday has herself rejected calls for alleged bullies to identified.
“All I can say is that’s not going to happen by me because identifying individuals is not part of the bigger program I’m engaged in,” she said upon the report’s 2015 release. “This is about longer term cultural change, not blame and shame — the aim of the exercise is to improve the culture.”
Other former councillors have previously been unsupportive of the identification of alleged bullies. They said the anonymous reporting process of Ms Halliday’s investigation had been put in place to protect victims.