HOBSONS Bay Council has released a previously confidential motion to reveal all legal costs incurred by the current council since November 2004 and the details of associated legal matters and disputes.
The motion, passed at last week’s meeting, followed much debate at the start to amend the minutes of the April 3 ordinary council meeting.
The minutes were altered to declare unlawful a motion that was passed unanimously on April 3.
That motion, moved by Altona Meadows ward councillor Luba Grigorovitch and seconded by Williamstown ward’s Angela Altair, had resolved to publicly reveal all confidential matters and legal costs relating to the dispute between councillors Tony Briffa and Peter Hemphill, along with a full history of the conflict.
Cr Hemphill spoke against the alteration of the minutes, saying it was “to cover himself”. “This seems to be correcting history and I’ve seen a lot of that over the years … highly unusual.”
Cr Grigorovitch said it was “an absolute disgrace” that the minutes were amended and condemned the councillors who voted to change the minutes.
A rescission motion was later put to the council to cancel Cr Grigorovitch’s motion from April.
But Cr Briffa successfully moved a motion at the end of last week’s meeting to publicly release all legal costs of the current councillors, a copy of the councillor conduct panel decision from August 11, 2011, and the three emails that were the subject of that CCP hearing.
Cr Briffa said the April 3 motion was “improper and made without due process while I was out of the chamber. I have absolutely nothing to hide.”
Cr Grigorovitch said:
“The original motion that was unanimously carried by the council was much more comprehensive and focused on the real issues.
“I voted against the second motion, raised by Cr Briffa [last week], as I have grave concerns about the effect this motion would have on the welfare of a private citizen.
“I question the motive of this motion and fear that it is perpetrating the behaviour that started this debacle in the first place.”
