By Dominique Tassell
Conflicts of interest were once more a contentious topic at the recent Ordinary Council Meeting, with one Councillor trying to remove the Mayor from the room for a motion noting the contents of a report.
Cr Jo McNally declared a conflict of interest for the correspondence due to being a member of the Southern Downs Domestic and Family Violence Integrated Service System Working Group
As she was not endorsed for that position by the Council, she declared a conflict of interest and requested to stay in the room.
Cr Cynthia McDonald declared a conflict of interest for the customer and organisational services monthly status report.
She stated that she was declaring a conflict of interest as the Warwick Saleyards are mentioned in the report.
“As I’m sure everyone around this room is aware, I have two outstanding complaints which have been lodged against me approximately two years ago which pertain to the saleyards and my use of them as a farmer.”
“And more recently, last week I received another one which in an interesting manner also pertains to the saleyards.”
Cr McDonald also asked to stay in the room.
Mayor Vic Pennisi said as they weren’t making any decisions regarding the saleyards, he didn’t see why Cr McDonald was required to declare a conflict.
Cr McDonald stated that she was acting on the advice of Chief Executive Dave Burges.
Councillors agreed to keep both councillors in the room for these items.
Cr McDonald then raised as Mayor Pennisi was moving on to the next item that he may have a conflict regarding the Planning and Environmental Services Monthly Status Report, where the report details seasonal workers’ accommodation.
Mayor Pennisi stated he did not have a declarable conflict of interest and that the report was just detailing operational details and they would not be making any decisions.
“I’m very very happy for someone to put a complaint in, I don’t believe that I have (a conflict) and I won’t be declaring one.”
Cr McDonald asked if Mayor Pennisi had been in attendance at a stakeholder session in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) detailed in the report.
Mayor Pennisi stated he would have to check his diary but that the agenda item was to note the details of the report and nothing more.
Cr McDonald said she thought he should declare a conflict and Mayor Pennisi refused but stated she was welcome to move a motion requesting him to leave the room.
She stated she would.
Cr McNally then requested that they find out if Mayor Pennisi was present at the meeting with DAF.
“You have left the room previously when items for worker accommodation have been raised on the agenda.”
Mayor Pennisi stated he was not in the district at the time, but that even if he’d been there it would not be a conflict.
“In my view, it has no bearing whatsoever on the decision that we’re about to make,” he said.
Mr Burges confirmed that Mayor Pennisi was not in the region at the time of the meeting.
Cr McNally stated that whether he had a conflict depended on whether there would be a discussion or not.
She said other councillors had received complaints after discussions over reports being noted.
Mayor Pennisi said it is up to individual councillors to manage those complaints.
“Frankly, councillors, by acknowledging complaints on every single little thing, it’s just making it worse,” he said. “It’s not going to make it better.”
Cr McDonald then unsuccessfully moved a motion stating that Mayor Pennisi had a prescribed conflict of interest and should leave the room for the agenda item.
Cr McNally then moved that it was a declarable conflict and councillors should decide if Mayor Pennisi stayed in the room, with Cr McDonald seconding.
Cr Stephen Tancred stated that in their conflict of interest training, they had been advised to always look for the benefit that a person may have in this situation and asked that it be outlined what benefit Mayor Pennisi may have from staying in the room and noting the report.
Mayor Pennisi stated he did not believe he benefitted from noting the operational details in the report.
The second motion was also unsuccessful.
Graham Parker, President of the Stanthorpe & Granite Belt Chamber of Commerce, commented on the livestream of the meeting that “I think some councillors should get more training on ‘conflicts of interest’”.
“Wasting time on trying to score petty points against another councillor speaks more to a lack of understanding of the intended process and actually makes said councillor show their lack of experience.”
After the meeting, Mayor Pennisi stated that none of the conflicts discussed in the meeting were required to be declared, and that doing so only spreads misinformation about what exactly a conflict is.
