By Emily-Rose Toohey
At the 13 April Southern Downs Regional Council (SDRC) meeting, conflicts of interest founds itself at the centre of a lengthy discussion.
Six councillors, including SDRC Mayor Vic Pennisi, Cr Cynthia McDonald, Cr Jo McNally, Cr Marco Gliori, Cr Stephen Tancred, and Cr Cameron Gow declared conflicts of interest.
Cr Cynthia McDonald acknowledged that items 9.1 (petition against material change of use application for intensive animal industry), 12.1 (corporate and community services monthly status report), 12.2 (Saleyards Advisory Committee), and 14.3 (Pest Management Advisory Committee Meeting minutes) were conflicts of interests for her.
“I am a beef cattle farmer and have commercial dealings in this industry, and some people may interpret this as me having a conflict of interest,” Cr McDonald said.
“I’ve had three complaints made against me in 2020, which are under investigation by the Office of the Independent Assessor and may be referred to the Councillor Conduct Tribunal at this point.”
She continued by saying that her role as a local cattle producer and farmer who regularly battles invasive pests, including wild dogs and harmful native species, may prompt community members to perceive a conflict of interest.
“I err on the side of being conservative, given some of the complaints lodged against me, some of which I find vexatious in nature,” Cr McDonald said.
“I consider myself a major landholder and I don’t want these complaints to be used against me.”
Cr Ross Bartley contested Cr McDonald’s declaration by saying everyone deals with pests.
“I think Cr McDonald is drawing a fairly long bow here and is verging onto a level of paranoia,” Cr Bartley said.
However, Cr Jo McNally said she supported Cr McDonald’s stance.
“She is right to err on the side of caution,” Cr McNally said.
Furthermore, Cr Pennisi supported her decision.
“It’s a strange world that we live in, it’s certainly changed from when we were elected on council, but I understand why,” he said.
Alongside Cr Pennisi, Cr Tancred and Cr Gow both declared conflicts with confidential item 18.2, Emu Swamp Dam water rights option deed.
According to a council spokesperson, this item did not initially appear on the agenda because it was a late entry.
Although Cr Pennisi said he was unsure exactly why he was being asked to declare a conflict, he informed the council of this based on a legal opinion.
Nonetheless, his conflict of interest was because of the mayor’s former directorships of Granite Belt Water Ltd and Emu Swamp Dam Pty ltd.
“I was asked to join these companies as a volunteer because of my intimate knowledge of this project at a time when council was no longer the proponent,” Cr Pennisi said.
“I do not believe these prior voluntary roles would prevent me from performing my councillor responsibilities.”
Similarly, Cr Tancred declared a declarable conflict of interest due to his previous involvement in planning and obtaining funding for Emu Swamp Dam as a voluntary member of two community organisations: the Stanthorpe Community Reference Panel and the Stanthorpe and Granite Belt Chamber of Commerce.
“I believe these prior voluntary roles would not prevent me from performing my councillor responsibilities and serving the public interest of the region by participating in the discussions and voting on the agenda item,” Cr Tancred said.
Cr Andrew Gale said he supported Cr Tancred in this.
“I commend Cr Tancred but do not believe he has a conflict of interest,” Cr Gale said.
Similarly, Cr McDonald emphasised the point that she is growing tired of councillors who have professional knowledge being removed from a relevant debate due to perceived conflicts.
“We have a lot of skill sets and it’s extremely important to consider when there are decisions that a person should not be excluded from the discussion,” she said.
Council has requested a review of the Office of the Independent Assessor that handles these conflict of interest complaints, due to the changing complaint climate councillors have experienced.
