Councillors sign up to code of conduct

All 12 of the councillors elected at October’s Baw Baw Shire elections have signed the required code of conduct document.

At a special meeting on Wednesday night, councillors were required to adopt the code of conduct and sign individual declarations that were witnessed by interim chief executive officer Phil Cantillon.

Councillors were required to make a declaration under the code when they took the oath of office in November.

Councillors are then required to call a special meeting within four months of an election, to enable them to approve any change to the code of conduct and sign the document.

Councillors who do not sign the document will be disqualified.

An East Gippsland Shire councillor, Linette Treasure, last month stood down when she refused to sign the code of conduct because she opposed some of the clauses.

The code of conduct adopted by the new councillors was the same document as that adopted by the previous council.

The document was approved and adopted for the 2012-2016 council term and following a review in June last year was adopted as the proposed document for the new council.

The code sets out the standards of conduct expected of councillors and endeavours to foster good working relations between councillors.

The code also is designed to build public confidence in the integrity of local government.

The document details how mayors and councillors must undertake their roles, community expectations and relationships between councillors, with the chief executive officer and with staff.

Councillor conduct in relation to communication and dealing with the media; decision making; misuse of information and confidentiality; and, use of council funds also are detailed.

The code also outlines councillors’ responsibilities for conflicts of interests.

In signing the document, councillors acknowledged that “effective decision making is vital to the democratic process and an essential component of good governance.”