THE Bendigo Weekly was this week embroiled in a state government investigation into the City of Greater Bendigo council. Investigators from the Department of Local Government interviewed all of the nine councillors on Monday and Tuesday over an alleged breach of the Local Government Act. Inspectors travelled to Bendigo for the investigation and also interviewed senior journalist Anthony Radford. The investigation surrounded the printing of an April 27 article by Radford, concerning the controversial plans for a supermarket on the Midland Highway at Epsom. The article quoted a recommendation that was to be presented to an ordinary council meeting the next week, outlining the council’s plan to reject the project. The council and the investigators alleged the document was leaked and that if that was the case, the person who leaked it had breached the Act. The investigators claimed the late council chief executive officer John McLean personally classed the document as confidential for 50 days under a little-known section of the Act that allowed that to be done without any public justification. The story was one of a series of leaks at the time surrounding council’s performance. Under the Act, Radford was expected to reveal his source, or face contempt of court charges and possible jail, something Weekly managing director Daryl McClure described as threatening. “Here we have a journalist doing his job, and he could be the only one to go to jail,” he said. “If all the other people interviewed said it wasn’t them, and Anthony refused to answer, he could be the one punished. “That smacks of trying to silence the media and, in this day and age, it is unacceptable.” Mr McClure said Radford should not have been interviewed. “The fact that this sort of pressure was put on him at all is an example of trying to shoot the messenger,” he said. “Perhaps the council needs to look at its message. “Anthony, who won a Walkley Award last year, is an experienced journalist who understands local issues and has a wide network of contacts. “The state government says it wants to increase protection for journalists to allow them to do their jobs, yet they allow things like this, which is little more than a witch hunt, to continue.” The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance has vowed to fight the investigation if it goes any further, and will lobby Local Government Minister Richard Wynne over the process.
Comments
Comment #1
(Posted by Big John)
Well done Tony lets hope the gov rids us of this virus in Bendigo.
As it is about time something was done.
Look at the main street Eaglehawk an absolute disgrace down the center devide, they take our rates but do nothing.
This Local Government investigation is an absolute disgrace. Bendigo's Council is a disaster, clearly seen from the results of public surveys, from a public rally and from the recent petition to the Premier. For years council planning has been hopeless and most major projects in recent years have been incompetently researched by council staff. Against such a background the LG Department has done nothing until involving itself in this trivial matter of an alleged leak. The Department should be looking at the broader picture and ordering an enquiry into the structure and operation of council.
1. Read the Local Government Act, Sect. 77;
2. Read the Local Government Act, Sect. 89.
Conclusion: These Sections of the LGA simply constitute more "Get out of jail" cards for CEOs and councillors.
Exactly the same thing is happening in Mt Alexander shire at the moment with the disgraceful MAETS debacle.
The CEO is showing a profile even lower than usual; the just-ousted old mayor has gone to ground and hasn't said, "Boo", while the new mayor - poor sod - has to sign his name to a full page "ad" in the local paper which is so full of bureaucratic double-speak it's unlikely many except dedicated council-watchers will bother reading it.
Calls for the council to come clean and reveal all in relation to MAETS have been ignored (surprise, surprise!).
Councils everywhere are coming in for closer examination, and so they should.
Many are operating under an increasing policy of "closed doors", where decisions are made in secrecy outside the very necessary public's view.
Bendigo Weekly and Tony Radford: DON'T GIVE IN..... KEEP THE BASTARDS HONEST.
Comment #4
(Posted by Chuck)
Meeting ‘leak’ in spotlight
By News Report
“Anthony, who won a Walkley Award last year, is an experienced journalist who understands local issues and has a wide network of contacts".
Typical Bendigo real esate guide (weekly) talk. Always talking yourself up. Personally I would like to know who wrote this article. Was it you Radford? I bet it was.
Real Estate guide? Walkley Award winning Real Estate guide thankyou very much. Nice of you 'Chuck' to mot put your full name or email address in. All well and good to have a go at someone, but hiding behind anonymity is cowardly. Daryl McClure criticised council in our superbly well written story and had the guts to put his name to it.
Radford, Has anyone ever commented on your very thick skin? You seem to take criticism very well. All I am saying as that you talk yourself up more than Mr.T. I wouldn’t necessarily say that it is cowardly for me not to include my full name, that is taking it a bit too far. I have included my email address if you really would like to contact me. Really Low is writing articles which only show one side of the story and then shoving them in people's letterboxes with the intention of influencing opinions. If all journalists went around renoucing all of there critics then they wouldnt get much writing done. Let me know how you go as Martin Ruffell's Council Campaign manager and then tell me you are not biased. Keep well.
By the way Radford, if Daryl McClure wrote this article how can it include direct quotes from himself? I am certainly no journalist but it occurs to me that it would make it an opinion piece and not a news item. Let me know if I am wrong about this.
Daryl didn't write the article, he was simply prepared to be quoted in it, sayinh what he was. The reason I am replying all the time is I love this medium as a way to get feedback and to promote discussion. I love a good argument. Haven't got time to talk about ethics or bias, but could do it for a week. Council hasn't even acknowledged the investigation happened - either to me or ABC radio. We need a discussion about all things in bendigo and that is what I am keen to promote. We can't have spin doctors or personal attacks ruining debate, because it will mean, once again, that Bendigo settles for second best, rather than what it needs (see super pipe). It is always a weakness when people stoop to personal attacks - it proves they have run out of arguments. It's all well and good to be aggressive in your quotes, but questioning ethics and bias is always a sure sign the argument is lost. Thanks for the feedback
Radford! All I asked was who wrote the article. You cant be serious in calling it a “Superbly written” article and then not be able to give the name of the person who wrote it. Dont even get me started on the superpipe. It is only a short term solution to a long term problem. Next you will be pushing the silly idea that lake Eppalock should act as a water bank. Since when has bendigo been settling for second best. What are you measuring this against? How does the superpipe fit into this? Who is the all wise and powerful person that can determine what is best and second best. I think that Bendigo has done remarkably well in recent years. I enjoy living here and so do a lot of people I know. I understand that you want to make bendigo a better place to live, but how do you plan on doing this and why isnt the current standard of living quite good enough?
Couldn't agree more that Bendigo has done well in the past few years. Debate such as this means we don't simply say everything is OK, rest on our laurels and enjoy the comfortable life. My motto is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. We must always be moving forward, personally and as a community and a city. Everyone else in the world is. Look how well places like Wodonga and Shepparton are doing with their civic stuff. Their traders campaign makes ours look like we are producing an A4 typed newsletter sticky taped to power poles. Bendigo is a great place to live, no arguments here. I moved here from Sydney, so I reckon it's OK. As far as Martin and Lisa and BRACS and EHAG or whatever they are called, I believe their voice, like that of council's, should always be heard. The Addy don't do it because they seem to be in bed with the council, financially and philosphically. That is their decision and up to them to justify that. Bendigo is a broad church and all views need to be put forward and criticising them, from whatever side, doesn't help. Sure, Martin may look stupid and turn people off when he gets personal. So does the mayor, so do a lot of other people. In my opinion that is wrong, but it is not for me to make that judgement and not run comments. As for the water bank, both sides of politics thought it was a good idea. Both state govt and then fed govt committed $200k for a study to see if it has legs.
Anyway Chuck, thanks for writing and taking part. It is important people use this forum for just that. This is why I keep writing back in the hope you will continue and others will join in. Everyone should have a chance to have their say and this is a great, raw way to do it, dafamation aside.
