The Victorian government had information and a contact needed to uncover Wodonga Council’s waste levy overcharging for two years, but failed to act, says whistleblower Charlie Mitchell.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Mitchell said he twice contacted Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins using the same alias he used when contacting the Ombudsman, but nothing was done.
He said it was disappointing the state government did not act on his evidence, which detailed the practice of overcharging over five years and bypassing the rate cap.
“They took no action,” Mr Mitchell said.
“They fobbed it off to someone else.”
Since the Ombudsman’s report was released in April the current Local Government Minister Marlene Kairouz and Victorian premier Daniel Andrews have widely criticised Wodonga Council for its overcharging.
RELATED:
- Whistleblower still recovering from council’s ‘unhealthy’ culture
- Premier Daniel Andrews saying the council’s behaviour was “completely wrong”
- Legal letter likely cost council hundreds, but councillors kept behind the news
- Whistleblower claims council legal letter a part of ‘continued harassment’
- Councillors break ranks, claim issue ‘much worse than anything we’d been told’
- Wodonga Council ‘were wrong’: LG Minister
However neither responded when asked why the government did not act on the overcharging information first provided to them in June, 2016.
Ms Kairouz said “the Ombudsman was the most appropriate integrity body for examining this issue and the Government advised a correspondent of this fact at the time”.
However, the letter they reference did not explicitly state the Ombudsman should be contacted over the waste levy charge – instead it only mentions Mr Mitchell should contact the Ombudsman about an entirely separate claim.
When discussing the levy, the letter, written by DEWLP on the minister’s behalf, only refers Mr Mitchell to the Local Government’s Better Practice Guide.
At the time Mr Mitchell was already corresponding with the Ombudsman but said he was frustrated by the slow process.
He said the Local Government Minister and department should investigate evidence against a council.
“The department (of local government) are there to manage the Local Government Act, not the Ombudsman, this is their territory, it’s their role,” he said.
“They sit above council so why should you have to go to someone else.”
A previous letter told Mr Mitchell the Local Government Act “enables a council to declare a service rate or annual service charge for a prescribed service, including the collection and disposal of refuse”.
While you’re with us, did you know that you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each day at 6am from The Border Mail? To make sure you’re up to date with all the Border and North East news, sign up here
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
