Brimbank fallout for

By Elizabeth Hart
Crs Daniel Mulino and Kevin Bradford work at the electorate offices of Jacinta Collins and Luke Donnellan.
Under a proposal to clean up political influence on local government, both would be barred from nomination.
The proposed ban is part of the fallout from the now widely reported Ombudsman’s account of breaches of conduct at Brimbank Council in Melbourne’s west.
In response to the revelations last Thursday, the State Government consented to all 30 of the Ombudsman’s recommendations within two days of release of the report.
A prohibition on candidates working for politicians is one of the recommendations.
Cr Mulino is serving his first term on the council for Edrington Ward.
Cr Bradford was returned to Mayfield Ward in last November’s election.
If the government enacts the Ombudsman’s recommendations, councillors working for political parties will belong to an era of the past.
Commenting on the proposed restrictions, Casey’s other Edrington Ward councillor, Simon Curtis, said yesterday that at times working for an MP complemented the role of a councillor.
“Having connections within the community can help us and at times cause conflict,” he said.
Cr Mulino was unavailable for comment when the Gazette attempted to contact him on Tuesday.
The Ombudsman’s report names particular Labor councillors at Brimbank and documents their misuse of resources as well as aggressive behaviour and bullying towards other councillors and towards officers.
But metropolitan media reports since the release of the report are calling for an investigation into all councils, to ferret out the impact of political abuses of power in local government.
Former mayor Janet Halsall, who lost her council seat last November, became a casualty of ALP factional presence at Casey Council when she lost her job at the electorate office of Judith Graley after refusing to support other ALP councillors in a vote to advertise the chief executive officer’s position before the contract was up for renewal.
While Ms Halsall was mayor, the former council voted to commission a report on Cr Bradford, alleging breaches of the councillor code of conduct and bullying in the chamber of a senior officer.
The council referred the report to Local Government Victoria.
Cr Bradford told the Gazette he would have to contemplate resigning from Casey council or give up his full time employment, a decision he says would affect his family and the people who elected him to council.
“It’s still early days but when the facts become clearer I’ll have to make a decision one way or another.”
Cr Bradford works as a full time electorate officer for Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan. He has been working there for the past three years.
He said he had never been instructed or pressured by Mr Donnellan in any way on how to vote at council or make a decision.