By-election endorsement a ‘concern’

MORE ratepayer money has been allocated to the Frankston Business Collective amid questions about the organisation’s political leanings.

The Frankston Business Collective is an independently-run business networking group launched by Frankston Council in 2022 to replace the defunct Chamber of Commerce. At their 22 April public meeting councillors agreed to pour more money into the organisation – council’s $60,000 annual commitment has been increased to $200,000 in its 2024/2025 draft budget. Frankston Council voted to establish a new Frankston business chamber in late 2021 and spent $200,000 to get the Frankston Business Collective off the ground.

At the 22 April council meeting, questions were raised about the Frankston Business Collective CEO’s endorsement of the mayor Nathan Conroy during the Dunkley by-election campaign. Conroy took leave from council to unsuccessfully contest the by-election for the Liberals earlier this year – an endorsement from then-Frankston Business Collective CEO Jeff Rogut was prominently featured in his print campaign advertising. Councillors Sue Baker and Brad Hill raised worries about the endorsement at the April meeting. Hill said “I’m particularly concerned about the lobbying for a political candidate that occurred earlier on at the by-election”. “What I was looking for tonight was hardcore commitment that this wouldn’t reoccur, and I’m disappointed the question didn’t get an answer,” Hill said at last week’s council meeting.

The Times asked Conroy whether he declared a conflict of interest on the Business Collective matter at the meeting. He said “as noted in the council meeting on 22 April, there is no conflict of interest for any councillor regarding decisions involving the FBC due to the independence of the organisation.” “The Frankston Business Collective (FBC) was established to be independent of Frankston City Council and has contact with all levels of government. The FBC has almost 200 members, supporting thousands of employees across Frankston City,” Conroy said.

Questions sent to Conroy asking when he approached Rogut for the endorsement went unanswered. Jeff Rogut has left the FBC CEO role, and has been replaced by FBC vice-chair Bernadine Geary. Rogut was identified as the business group’s CEO in Conroy’s election material. Questions sent to the Business Collective were not answered by publication deadline.

Conroy’s printed election material, which ran in the Frankston Times, also featured endorsements from Bernadine Geary, former Frankston Citizen of the Year Trudy Poole, and fellow Frankston councillor David Asker. Councillor Sue Baker asked the incoming Business Collective CEO about the endorsement at the April council meeting – Geary said it was an “unfortunate situation”, and later told councillors that the Collective is “bi-partisan”. The extra funding for the Business Collective was included in Frankston Council’s draft budget, which has now been released for community consultation. Eight out of nine Frankston councilors voted to approve the draft budget, including Conroy. Sue Baker abstained from the vote.

First published in the Frankston Times – 30th April 2024