Clarence Valley Mayor, Ray Smith, called an Extraordinary Council Meeting on Monday to address what he says are unsubstantiated allegations made against the Council by former Albury Deputy Mayor and Greens spokesperson for Local Government, Dr Amanda Cohn, in the NSW Parliament.
On 23 October under Parliamentary Privilege the Upper House MLC (pictured, below) levelled a number of allegations, accusing Council staff of failing to follow the Local Government Act, and of making poor administrative and governance decisions.
In a Mayoral Minute presented to Monday’s meeting, Mayor Smith sought the support of fellow councillors to make a Citizens Right of Reply to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, refuting Dr Cohn’s claims.
The Mayor said emotions ran high during the meeting, with two councillors removing themselves from the debate and two members of the gallery expelled.
“I’m glad the remaining councillors decided to support this Mayoral Minute,” Mayor Smith said.
“[Monday’s] meeting was about responding to statements made by Dr Amanda Cohn in NSW Parliament, statements that were not verified with Council or myself as Mayor.
“Council takes the allegations made under parliamentary privilege seriously.
“I will now submit a Citizen’s Right of Reply to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly to correct the record and lodge a formal complaint with the NSW Parliamentary Ethics Committee to ensure the facts are recorded.
“As Mayor, these types of incidents are disappointing as they distract from what should be the real focus of Council, being to implement policies and strategies that create positive outcomes for the residents and ratepayers of the Clarence Valley,” he said.
After an amendment to the original motion by Councillor Yager, Councillors ultimately voted to endorse the Mayoral Minute, with the remaining seven councillors all voting in favour of the motion.
