THE monitors appointed to oversee Kingston Council are set to stay for another six months at ratepayers’ expense.
Last year the state government appointed two monitors to report on the council, with their terms scheduled to conclude on 31 December. Shortly before the turn of the new year, the two monitors had their stay extended until 30 June.
Shortly after the monitors’ tenure was extended, Kingston mayor Georgina Oxley said she was “perplexed” by the decision. She said that council had not been provided with an interim report justifying the extension.
“It’s unclear what the justification was for extending the monitors, and councillors are perplexed by the announcement. Nonetheless we will continue to provide the state-appointed monitors with transparency on our strong processes, governance and decision-making,” Cr Oxley said. “Your councillors have been elected to represent our community, be a strong voice for advocacy and to act with independence and integrity. We will continue to lead our community with integrity, and without fear or favour, to deliver the vision for Kingston our community voted for. We look forward to continuing to serve the Kingston community with pride.”
Monitors John Tanner and John Watson have been tasked with assessing “the councillors’ understanding and performance of their statutory roles and responsibilities, including the adequacy of the council’s councillor induction training program and any ongoing professional development opportunities” and “the relationship between councillors and between councillors and council staff, including councillor behaviour with respect to the Model Councillor Code of Conduct and processes for resolving disputes between councillors.” They will prepare a final report for the local government minister once their term expires. (“Monitor appointed to Kingston Council” The Times 22/8/2025)
Kingston Council CEO Peter Bean said “council is committed to continuing to deliver excellent services to our community, built on a foundation of good governance and strong customer service.”
“Our community can be assured that the solid work of delivering over 100 services to our community continues around the clock,” he said. “This includes our biggest ever capital project – the new Mordi Aquatic Centre – progressing on-time and on-budget, our community rated us highly in the annual satisfaction survey, and we continue to deliver vital community services that many local governments no longer provide including aged care, delivered meals and childcare.”
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 14 January 2026