MILDURA councillors will be expected to toe the official council line in any comments made to the media or on their social media pages under a proposed policy change.
Mildura Rural City Council chief executive Sarah Philpott said the policy update – which will be voted on at Wednesday’s council meeting – was a case of “bringing it into line with the obligations that sit for councillors and for staff”.
She said councillors could still speak to the media “as individuals with their own opinion, but they need to make it clear about their opinion and council’s official position”.
“What you can see in the policy is it doesn’t prevent councillors from saying they’ve got a different opinion,” Ms Philpott said.
“So they can clearly express that ‘My opinion on the matter is X, Y and Z, but council’s official position is this’.”
One of the points under clause 3.3 of the updated policy states that councillors must “refrain from using the media or social media to make negative personal reflections on each other, council staff or council”.
Asked whether she denied this was effectively gagging councillors, Ms Philpott said: “Well, what I’d say is, under councillors’ code of conduct, it is about always being respectful about differences of opinion.
“So that point is just one that we’d ask of anybody.”
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Those same councillors will tonight vote on an updated media policy that will prevent them contradicting official council decisions by their personal opinions in the media.
Here’s a snapshot of what they promised the community while vying for a spot on the Mildura Council:
Mayor Jason Modica: “I will continue to fight for transparency and good governance and always call out poor conduct when I see it.”
Deputy Mayor Helen Healy: “Raising motions, asking hard questions and making tough decisions …”
Ian Arney: “I encourage authentic community engagement, relevant and healthy discussion to provide a well-balanced point of view.”
Mark Eckel: “I believe in being respectful for the changing climate of opinion.”
Stefano de Pieri: “Listening to people across the region over the past few years, I sense a strong desire for … more transparency.”
Glenn Milne: “We must have councillors that represent the community and advocate for what the community want.”
Cyndi Power: “I view the role of a councillor as a public servant, responsible for listening to, assessing and advocating for the needs of our public.”
Jodi Reynolds: “We need a council and councillors that are transparent and accountable.”
Liam Wood: “Ratepayers should have full transparency …”
