FRANKSTON councillor Steven Hughes’ suspension is officially underway.
Cr Hughes will spend a month out of action after an arbiter decided that his social media posts about council were an act of misconduct. (“Rebel councillor suspended over Facebook posts” The Times 31/8/21). Despite the ruling handed down, Cr Hughes was not directed to make an apology.
The final judgement handed down by the arbiter was made public last week. It read that Cr Hughes should not be made to make an apology because the act would be “forced and insincere”.
“The respondent has been found to have engaged in four instances of misconduct by breaching the code in four respects. He has failed to accept those findings. He consequently has shown no remorse or insight into his misconduct. It is hoped that a period of one month’s suspension (being the statutory maximum) may help him to comprehend that if he continues to engage in the conduct that led to the findings of misconduct he may be subject to further applications under the act,” the arbiter wrote.
