Inspectorate staff have hit the road again after two years interruptions as a result of movement restrictions due to the pandemic. Our investigators are visiting councils to conduct in-person interviews and collect information for investigations.
In March, we visited Warrnambool City Council and Mildura Rural City Council as part of our ongoing reviews into the two councils. We also visited Gannawarra Shire Council to introduce ourselves and give a briefing on our role in improving council compliance with the Local Government Act 2020.
We have more trips planned for April and May to visit the north of the state.
CMI Michael Stefanovic said:
“Our usual program of council visits was impacted by travel restrictions for the last two years. This work is vital and I am delighted that my team is able to get back on the road and meet council staff and councillors face-to-face again.
“Visiting councils allows us to get a deeper understanding of issues at individual councils and allows councils to ask us questions about compliance and governance issues. Face-to-face interviews are also a key component of investigations – particularly if they are part of a complex investigation.”
Meanwhile, we are also rolling out some presentations both in person and online. We have presentations planned for Nillumbik Shire Council, Murrindindi Shire Council and Surf Coast Shire Council in the next three months.
The CMI and our senior staff can speak to councils about particular issues they face or give a general introduction to good governance, local government laws and our role as an integrity agency.
Mr Stefanovic said:
“We encourage councils to get in touch with us to book us to do a presentation with councillors or staff.
“We present to a number of councils every year to inform them about our role in monitoring local government and ensuring the integrity of elections. These presentations are useful to understand the complexity of roles and responsibilities in the local government sector – and how the integrity agencies interact.”
Please email inspectorate@lgi.vic.gov.au if you want to book a presentation with us.
Updated