A complaint was made to the Local Government Standards Panel, in which it was alleged that I contravened the Local Government (Rules of Conduct) Regulations 2007 (WA) when I made certain negative comments that were published in an article in The West Australian regarding a Petition to change the method of voting for the Mayor of the City.
The Panel found that I breached regulation 7(1)(b) of said Regulations three times as either:
- The comments were inaccurate and misleading as to the nature of the Petition;
- The comments were not made in good faith; or
- It was not made clear that I was speaking personally rather than as a spokesperson for the City.
I accept that I should not have made such comments regarding the nature of the Petition and the parties coordinating the Petition.
I now apologise to all parties who may have been offended by my comments, my fellow Councillors and the public.
Please note: the City of Subiaco is complying with the Local Government Standards Panel order, requiring the notice of public apology to be published on the City's Facebook page, website and public newsletter.