A Chiltern caravan park manager has complained to a Victorian watchdog after being frustrated with delays to a freedom of information request lodged with Indigo Council.
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Ty Bates, who operates the Lake Anderson Caravan Park, applied last September to the council for documents related to an assessment of his property and is still awaiting a response.
He said his action was prompted by the council, as his landlord, increasing his rent from $5000 per year to $18,000.
Mr Bates said the removal of 14 new powered sites, considered to be an improvement, from the final lease update, had resulted in a reduction to $13,000 but he still wanted detail as to how the council arrived at the first figure.
"We want to keep the bastards honest," Mr Bates said.
"I don't understand the secrecy.
"I want to know how they arrived at that figure and make sure they're doing the right thing in accordance with the criteria in the lease."
Mr Bates said in 2023 he had received an assessment document from the council which blacked out details related to Indigo Council caravan parks, but displayed financial details for those in Alpine Shire.
The Border Mail asked Indigo Council why the Alpine Shire data was provided but material related to its own parks was censored.
An answer was not provided.
Indigo Shire chief executive Trevor Ierino cited intricacies for the delay on the material sought by freedom of information.
"The request is particularly complex and some documents contain sensitive third party information," Mr Ierino said.
"Under FOI legislation, we must consult with these third parties to consider their view on the potential release of the information.
"Given this necessity and the complexity of the request, the process takes some time.
"We are unable to comment on how long this process will take, but we appreciate the applicant's patience while we work to finalise it as quickly as possible."
Mr Bates said he spoke to a council representative on April 9 and this month took his concerns about the hold-up to the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner.
A case manager emailed him on May 21 stating his complaint about Indigo Shire had been accepted.
The to-do about the information request follows a controversial council decision to grant a 21-year lease to manage Rutherglen's caravan park to a company which was linked to a master plan process.
Conflicts of interest sparked concerns from councillors and a suggestion from Benambra MP Bill Tilley that "alarm bells" should have been ringing in relation to the process.
Now council watchdog Indigo Community Voice has expressed dismay at what has unfolded and suggested councillors should have followed councillor Roberta Horne's move to delay the decision.
"The deferment of the motion would have provided a deeper understanding for councillors and gained more community trust," ICV president Herb Ellerbock said.
"An improvement in council's process and transparency is needed, particularly when three other shire caravan park leaseholders are anxious about their future as their leases near expiration.
"ICV will be contacting the Victorian Ombudsman early next week and seeking their consideration of the matter."
