A DOCUMENT designed to help councils develop and stick to a code of conduct does not have the information Councillor Fiona Rossiter was hoping to find.
The NSW Government has launched the guide in the wake of recent local government elections to help councils adopt the existing model code of conduct and deal with alleged code breaches.
Cr Rossiter said she believes she was the victim of a spurious code of conduct complaint when Cr Jeremy Buckingham asked council’s general manager to investigate whether she had breached the code.
He later dropped the matter, but not before Cr Rossiter had sought legal advice to the tune of $550.
Cr Rossiter said she was disappointed the new guidelines did not outline how councils should deal with the issue of compensation for legal fees such as the one she incurred if a code of conduct investigation came to nothing.
She previously raised the issue with Department of Local Government deputy director general Ross Woodward. He told her there was a need for further clarity on the issue.
However, the issue is not mentioned specifically in the new guide.
Cr Rossiter said: “The code of conduct leaves a bit to be desired.
“There should be a guide to what is a code of conduct complaint.
“It should meet certain criteria. There should be repercussions if you’re just going to do it willy-nilly.”
The code of conduct guide includes information about complaint handling procedures, an area Cr Rossiter says where Orange City Council could improve.
“It should be clearly defined as to what the allegations are before you go any further. You first of all should have to bring all the facts to the table,” she said.
The guidelines state complainants must be informed in writing of the outcome of their complaint, whether action is to be taken or not.
However, there are no specific guidelines dealing with communication with the subject of a complaint.
A matter arising from Cr Buckingham’s complaint about Cr Rossiter will be raised at council’s next meeting.