Wednesday, 1 April 2026

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (18:39): (2468) My adjournment is for the Minister for Local Government, and the action I seek is that the minister clarify his government’s position on the gag orders passed at Hobsons Bay City Council last week.

Councillors are now prohibited from speaking to the media without the mayor’s express approval. All agendas, papers from officers and presentations for councillor briefing meetings are now secret. As the council’s own deputy mayor said, these are Big Brother tactics, tactics that belong in an Orwell novel. I cannot help but point out that monitors are in place at Hobsons Bay, monitors appointed by the minister, who report to the minister and who quite frankly work for the minister. The policies in question appeared on the council agenda with no authorship attributed to them, so where did they come from?

It is often said that local government is the closest to the people and councillors are the ratepayers’ first line of representation. I have great respect for council officers, but they are not in charge. They are paid bureaucrats who should execute the collective decisions of councillors, not suppress them. Mayors are first among equals. They should not have a veto over their colleagues on such matters. Councillors are chosen by the community to represent its interests, to ask hard questions and to speak publicly when those interests are at risk. Instead, under these rules, councillors who speak out could face sanctions and loss of pay.

The minister needs to answer some straightforward questions. Did his monitors initiate, encourage or endorse these policies? Does he believe it is appropriate for elected councillors to be required to obtain mayoral approval before speaking to the media? And does he stand behind a confidentiality regime that would keep working documents hidden from the very public that funds this council? If the minister cannot answer these simple questions, ratepayers should assume the worst.