State Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy says people in Moira being unable to exercise their vote at a local level is “excessive” following the Victorian Government’s decision to appoint an administrator for five years, but the Nationals will not oppose the motion facing parliament this week.
Local Government Minister Melissa Horne dismissed Moira Shire Council this week following a report into governance issues.
Administrators will step in to run the council for five years.
Speaking in parliament this week, Mr McCurdy — who was deputy mayor at Moira Shire Council more than a decade ago — said while there had been issues with council for many years, on the whole it had functioned “adequately”.
Mr McCurdy, who had been briefed on the report but spoke before he had the chance to read it in full, said issues at council could be fixed sooner than the scheduled 2028 election.
“I believe that there should be ample time in the next couple of years, even before the next election of councillors late next year, to rectify any systematic problems that exist,” he said.
“I do not have concerns with where the newly elected councillors reside but rather with how they function as a group. That is the concern.”
His position was mirrored by state Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh; however, Mr McCurdy told parliament the Nationals did not intend to challenge the decision.
Mr McCurdy said he did not believe outgoing mayor Peter Lawless was not up to the role.
“My personal view is that the current mayor does not deserve to be in this position,” Mr McCurdy said.
He said he believed most people who worked for council did so with the best intentions for the people within the Moira shire.
Mr McCurdy said he needed to read the full report in order to understand the entire situation and urged people to allow those who had had allegations made against them to have their say.
Mr Walsh said the report and reset was a chance to divide Moira Shire Council into wards, something he had long supported.
“I think ratepayer residents need to know who their local councillor is,” he said.
“It makes for a lot better accountability of the councillors if people know there is a specific councillor that is their ward’s representative.”
He also said the five-and-a-half-year suspension was “excessive” and would rob residents of a voice on local issues.
Mr Walsh said while councillors went in with the “best intentions for their community”, it was “unfortunate” the bill had to be brought before parliament.
“I do not think anyone on either side of the chamber necessarily feels comfortable when we get to the situation we have got to with this,” he said.