A MONITOR has been appointed to oversee Kingston Council until the end of the year.
The state government has appointed John Tanner AM to monitor the behavior of the council. His tenure begins on 25 August and will run until at least 31 December.
It has been a tumultuous term for Kingston Council since the November 2024 election. At a March meeting Cr Hadi Saab publicly aired bullying allegations, and a decision taken by the previous council was referred to the Local Government Inspectorate for investigation (“Bullying allegations aired in council meeting” The News 2/4/2024).
Separately, Cr Jane Agirtan was stood down from April to July after she was charged with breaching a personal safety intervention order. At the Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on 20 June Agirtan avoided conviction, and was offered a two-week diversion on the condition she make a $2000 donation to the Royal Children’s Hospital. She soon returned to council, and was entitled to backpay. (“Councillor offered diversion by court”, The News 20/6/2025)
The terms of reference for the monitor read that he will assess “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.”
The monitor will also look into “the council’s policies, processes and practices in relation to health and safety including any matters that may be creating a serious risk to the health and safety of councillors, council staff or other persons; the council’s meeting procedures and decision-making processes, council briefings and meetings, the adequacy of the council’s governance rules, councillor adherence to the governance rules and councillor attendance and participation at meetings; the council’s policies, processes and practices related to the management of conflicts of interest, including in relation to community grants; the council policies, processes and practices to support adherence with the requirements of section 229 of the [Local Government] Act; and any other matters that may be affecting the council’s ability to effectively perform its role, including behaviour that may be preventing the council from performing its functions.”
A monitor oversaw Frankston Council for nearly two years between 2017 and 2019, leaving behind a bill for ratepayers totalling more than $100,000.
The monitor will report to the local government minister, who will have final say on any subsequent action taken.