Institute immediately an 'Independent' Probity Audit of the fiscal and operational management processes at Moira Shire Council

For a long period of time now, our `concerns’ as residents of Moira Shire have been growing in relation to Moira Shire Council’s ability to effectively govern its fiscal and operational practices that have direct ramifications to our Shire becoming a more livable and thriving community.

These concerns emanate from unwarranted and unjustified rate rises in the face of Council’s failure to curb year-on-year wasteful and overspending expenditure especially in the area of External Contractor Costs, Staff Costs and Materials & Services Costs that has been evident from the annual reports and annual budgets produced by Council. Disappointingly, at the recent Community Budget Consultation sessions (and as has often times been the case at Ordinary Council meetings), Council has failed to “appropriately address, respond to and resolve our concerns” about Council’s ability to provide good governance in the area of its fiscal and operational management of the `public purse’.

Our concerns have been further augmented by recent explosive revelations that `an audit conducted in April 2014 by a reputed accounting and audit firm has revealed `42 significant breaches out of 65 samples audited’ in Council’s Contract Management Processes that extended across both contracted and un-contracted suppliers where the un-contracted aggregated spending was in excess of the $150,000 threshold specified in The Local Government Act.

Furthermore, amid `bullying & harassment’ claims (also reported in the local media), as a community, we are also concerned with Council’s ability to create a safe and productive environment for staff to operate in as many of Council’s staff are rate payers and or family of rate payers.

To allay these concerns of ours, at the 17th of February 2014 Council meeting, Councillors had unanimously passed a standing resolution that `An Independent Probity’ be initiated. We are also aware that after a tender process, the Mayor had declared Rob Salisbury & Associates of Albury as the successful contractor to carry out this `Independent Probity Audit’. We the community of Moira Shire understand, that this resolution is still a valid resolution on the books of Moira Shire Council.