Tuesday, 9 December 2025

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:40): (2071) My question is for the Minister for Local Government. My constituents want to know: what was discussed at your meeting with Kingston council on 23 April 2025? A ministerial diary disclosure confirms that, along with a Labor government department official and your adviser, you met with councillors, the mayor and the CEO on this day. It is the only meeting you had with council this year, prior to the monitors being appointed in August. Did you signal your intention to install monitors on this day? Did you discuss protecting your factionally aligned Labor councillor, who allegedly failed to declare a conflict of interest in a multicultural group based outside of Kingston, in at least one council briefing? The same councillor is said to have met with Kingston council officers and lobbied councillors and was involved in formulating amendments prior to a meeting on 24 June 2024 where a grant was endorsed to have the Kingston council ratepayers fund a large multicultural event not held in Kingston but in the city of Dandenong. This decision may have facilitated branch stacking and your power base.

Michael Galea: On a point of order, President, does this have to be put in as a substantive motion? I will just seek your guidance.

The PRESIDENT: Yes, I will review it. I am sorry, I did miss the start of it, but at the end I was listening. I think it might have been skirting around that, but I do not think it hit the mark then. I will have another look.