What’s going on at council?

IT is imperative that the probe into bullying at City Hall should be broad, comprehensive and without fear or favour.

Anything less than this will stink of a cover-up.

Victims deserve to be heard, offenders punished and workers made safe from bullying.

And the people of Geelong deserve to know what is happening behind the walls of City Hall.

Yesterday the Geelong Advertiser exposed serious concerns about bullying by councillors and council officers.

Those concerns raise red flags about the very heart of the culture at the City of Greater Geelong.

This culture has produced a ward allocation fiasco where $50 million of ratepayers’ money was spent by councillors without scrutiny.

It has also produced a council chamber that is racked by political factions and is virtually immobilised by politics.

Now this culture is at the centre of the most serious bullying allegation.

Something is very wrong at our council.

And that is why this latest issue requires a very strong forensic examination.

And the investigator must be truly independent of the council.

There must be wide terms of reference.

There must be the power to compel those at City Hall to answer questions and to hand over all documents related to bullying.

The big question is, though: Can a council appointed investigation into council bullying be truly independent?

It is hard to see how it can be.

The State Government must know that while this problem is not of its creation, it will own this problem if it does not ensure that no stone is left unturned to investigate and rid our council of bullying.