Jennifer Pittorino
Hobsons Bay councillor Daria Kellander has been suspended from council for one week, following an internal arbitration process found her guilty of misconduct.
The suspension was announced at a council meeting on March 12, to begin the following day and end on March 21.
The internal arbitration report dated March 1, 2024, lists an application made by Cr Briffa accusing Cr Kellander of misconduct on three occasions.
The first, of which Cr Kellander was found guilty, related to an email to all councillors dated October 29, 2023, in regards to the mayoral election.
“I’d like to note that given that this meeting is now two days away, only one councillor has reached out to me to share an intention to run for mayor,” the email said.
“This is unlike previous years. Noting that the current mayor wanted to have this meeting behind closed doors a month in advance to anoint the ’new mayor’, I suggest that a deal has already been done, of which I have no interest in being part of.
“Operation Sandon made it very clear that predetermining decisions in pre-organised meetings of the councillor group like this, was collusive conduct and denies the community the ability to see decisions made.
“This conduct should stop and I will not be a party to this discussion.“
Cr Briffa alleged that in this email Cr Kellander failed to treat other councillors and the Mayor with fairness, objectivity, courtesy and respect in her email to them and several staff.
Arbiter Dr Lily O’Neill ruled that Cr Kellander’s email was inappropriate as it contained a clear implication that she believed that the meeting was ‘collusive conduct’.
Dr O’Neill did not find Cr Kellander guilty of misconduct in the remaining two allegations which were in relation to a Facebook post on October 31.
There was no discussion about the findings at the council meeting.
As reported by Star Weekly, this is not the first time Cr Kellander has found herself in hot water.
A month ago, Cr Kellander was found guilty of misconduct after being reported by fellow councillor Tony Briffa.
In the same arbitration report, Cr Kellander also accused Cr Tony Briffa of misconduct, of which she was found guilty.
In a Facebook post on March 12, Cr Kellander said she would be back.
“I understand that the council will remove me from their website and my council email address and phone number will become inactive,” she said.
“I’ll be switching off for seven-days, but as Arnold Schwarzenegger in his role as the Terminator famously said ’I’ll be back’.”
