LOCAL member and Nationals leader Peter Walsh has again called in state parliament for an inquiry into governance at the Gannawarra Shire Council.
In a contribution to the adjournment debate on Thursday – the last day of parliament before the mid-year break – the member for Murray Plains called on the Premier to establish a commission of inquiry into bullying and governance at the council.
Mr Walsh linked the issue of bullying allegations by former councillors Mark Arians and Sonia Wright, which he previously raised in the parliament on October 29 last year and again on February 5, to the claim that council chief executive officer Tom O’Reilly is deliberately blocking plans for the upgrade of the Cohuna airport.
“There is a view that as punishment to the two councillors who raised concerns about the bullying and the poor governance and resigned, the CEO is doing all in his power to thwart the use of a federal government grant to upgrade the Cohuna airport,” Mr Walsh said.
“He has been granted unfettered powers by the existing councillors that are still there to make planning decisions that will mean that will not go ahead.”
Mr Walsh was apparently referring to a delegation of planning powers to Mr O’Reilly that the council signed off on earlier this year.
Also apparently prompting his comments were recommendations currently before the council that would see it relinquish the licence for the Cohuna airport to Coliban Water, the owner of the land the airport is built on.
The proposed relinquishment of the airport licence has serious implications for the continuance of the airport, as well as Cohuna Aviation Club’s plan to upgrade it – for which the club last year secured a federal government commitment of $2.57 million from the Regional Airport Fund.
The plan involves constructing a new 1300m by 30m runway, converting the current runway into a taxiway, building a new terminal building and toilets and installing a self-service refuelling facility.
While the upgrade issue has been highly controversial and sparked conflict at the council, when Mr O’Reilly last commented to the Gannawarra Times about it in February, he indicated the council would work with the club and the federal department on the proposal.
“Council looks forward to receiving the Cohuna Aviation Club’s updated business plan, in order to allow its evaluation by council and associated referral authorities,” he said in a statement.
That process has not yet occurred, and the council has not conducted any public consultation or had discussions with the Cohuna Aviation Club about dumping management of the airport.
Current council policy, the Gannawarra Aerodromes Development Plan, is to manage both the Kerang and Cohuna aerodrome facilities.
However, the agenda notes for the upcoming Wednesday council meeting reveal that the council has been investigating options for the management of the airports, including “asset rationalisation”.
The notes state that the cost to operate and maintain the Cohuna airfield was found to be $37,105 in 2018-19, which would accumulate to around $400,000 over 10 years.
The notes state: “Aerodromes are not a core service of council and a duplication of two assets within close proximity to each other provides an opportunity to rationalise council’s asset cost base.”
The issue has attracted a lot of passionate opinion on social media, with comments by Cohuna airport supporters also reflecting a concern that the council may seek to reclassify land around the airport area, which could prevent its expansion going ahead.
In his speech on Thursday Mr Walsh went on to state that two other projects in Cohuna – the proposed new swimming pool and the waterfront development – had suffered as a result of poor governance.
Cohuna’s waterfront development, like other projects around the shire, has been proceeding at pace in recent months, with millions of dollars already poured into the works prompting positive local feedback, however, there has been criticism from some quarters that the council has not genuinely reflected community wishes in the detail of the development.
On the push for a new pool, which dates back over a decade, the council has insisted it needs to address the question through a shire-wide assessment of facilities which is due to take place this year.
Mr Walsh also raised the issue of the CEO’s employment, claiming “a whistleblower” had reported concerns about the process of his performance and salary review.
Mr Walsh also criticised what he claimed was a 20 per cent salary increase that Mr O’Reilly received.
The Gannawarra Shire Council declined to respond to questions about the claims, instead issuing a general statement.
“Minister Walsh raised his concerns back in October 2019,” the statement said.
“His concerns have been formally addressed by the Local Government Inspectorate, WorkSafe Victoria and the Minister for Local Government.
“These investigations found that the matters raised by [Mr] Walsh had been dealt with appropriately and required no further action by council.
“The councillors, chief executive officer and staff are unequivocally committed to continuing to deliver the best outcomes, in the best interests of all our communities across the Gannawarra [shire].”
Mr O’Reilly and Gannawarra Shire Council mayor Cr Lorraine Learmonth were also contacted individually for comment.
