OAKESHOTT INDEPENDENT
DECISION ON A PUBLIC INQUIRY NOW WITH THE MINISTER
"A decision is expected soon on whether a full, open, public inquiry will be undertaken by the Department of Local Government into the administration and governance of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, local Member for Port Macquarie, Rob Oakeshott, said today.
"As per section 434(2) of the Local Government Act, I understand Council have now responded to the recommendation by the Investigation Team that called on the Minister to undertake a broader, public inquiry into Port Macquarie-Hastings Council. This means the Minister can, at any time from now, make an order for further action, or, alternatively, may make an order that the process is complete, Mr Oakeshott said.
"The recommendation by the Investigation Team was for a full, public inquiry. So the question before the Minister is whether Council's response given this week, was enough to dissuade the Minister from pursuing the recommendation that was put to him by the Investigation Team, said Mr Oakeshott.
"I am comfortable that the Minister is a competent person to make this decision, with his experience both as a lawyer and as a former long-standing Councillor in a Sydney Council. I am confident he is aware of how Councils work, as well as being well conversed in the law in NSW, Mr Oakeshott said
"I am also comfortable that he has not been unduly influenced throughout this process. I am aware of several attempts by several people wanting to meet with the Minister in an effort to lobby him, however, to the best of my knowledge, I understand all those attempts were rejected by the Minister over the past couple of months, Mr Oakeshott said.
"Importantly, I am also aware that there is a lot of passion in the community about this project and a number of differing viewpoints on the performance of Council. I urge all members of the community to accept the "umpires verdict" when a decision is made, and recognise unwanted and/or unfounded allegations one-way or the other that, left to fester within a community, can only do harm. This is a challenging decision for the Minister, and I urge the community to recognise this and accept the judgement when made, Mr Oakeshott said.
2 July 2007