Vol. No. Vol. 2718No. 9 27
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Wednesday, 13, 2024 2016 Wednesday,January August 28,
ENTERTAINERS: More than 500 competitors graced the Horsham Town Hall stage across three days last week during Horsham Calisthenic’s Club's annual competition. Teams and solo competitors from across regional Victoria and South Australia competed at the competition, with the Horsham club’s junior team winning the aggregate and intermediate team finishing runner-up. Pictured are Warrnambool Calisthenic Club sub-juniors Kiara De Bono and Elkie McLean. More pictures, page 69. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
Pressure mounts P
BY LAUREN HENRY
ressure continues to build on Horsham Rural City Council after more than 60 people attended Monday evening’s ordinary meeting seeking answers.
Wimmera finals preview lift-out INSIDE TODAY
Security was present at council chambers as mineral sands opponents, business contractors, farmers, council staff, and older and middle-aged community-minded residents filled the room. The community’s interest especially piqued since news broke late last week that council staff had called for chief executive Sunil Bhalla to be stood down while an investigation takes place into ‘serious allegations of inappropriate and potentially unlawful conduct of senior staff of council, including the chief executive’. It is the latest in issues surrounding council, following its failure to adopt
its annual Budget before the June 30 deadline that prompted a Local Government Inspectorate investigation; councillors publicly criticising each other; and a Municipal Monitor being appointed and set to start on Monday. The Australian Services Union, ASU, hosted a meeting on Thursday where staff, both ASU members and non-members, moved a motion of no confidence in the ability of the chief executive to manage the council and protect staff health and wellbeing. In a letter to Mayor Robyn Gulline and councillors, ASU organiser Billy King wrote the motion related to concern about the chief executive’s leadership style and the ‘impact of that style on that ability’. “Staff are feeling intimidated, belittled and fearful at work and in their public life as well,” the letter states. “Staff are being questioned and sometimes abused by members of
the public simply because they work for council. This behaviour is unacceptable and has been happening for far too long. “While the CEO has an obligation for the health, safety and wellbeing of staff, he has not done anything to address this awful situation.” The letter lists several examples of allegations relating to withholding and misusing information, especially in relation to budgetary processes; abrogation of responsibility for management communication; delegitimising staff concerns in relation to feeling bullied, harassed or unsafe; creating a culture of division by making statements about the work of other team members in the presence of staff; belittling and undermining staff members; undermining staff morale, including micromanaging and allowing the development of a cultural perception of officer incompetence;
and failure to act to resolve identified concerns, such as addressing continuous and widespread claims of a ‘problematic culture’. In its first meeting since Cr Bob Redden died suddenly earlier this month, Crs Gulline, Ian Ross, Les Power, David Bowe and Claudia Haenel were present, while Cr Penny Flynn appeared by video link. Corporate services director Kim Hargreaves was the only director absent from the meeting. After a warning from Cr Gulline that members of the gallery could not address councillors, only via prepared questions, and that she may order removal of people in gallery if they disrupted proceedings, public question time commenced. Continued page 3
IN THIS ISSUE • Fishing competitions in doubt • Olde Horsham fire investigation • Stawell paralympian off to Paris • AgLife Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
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