Central Highlands mayor required to retract her accusations of 'corruption and collusion'

Loueen Triffitt asserts that the special meeting was a waste of taxpayer money. (ABC News: Peta Carlyon)

The mayor of a regional Tasmanian council who accused her fellow councillors of “corruption and collusion” will now have to retract her statements.

Central Highlands Mayor Loueen Triffitt claimed her colleagues signed off on holding a special meeting to review the performance of the council’s general manager on April 5, without consulting her.

“I’m highly concerned with what I feel is an abuse of power by every single councillor at this meeting, by wasting our precious ratepayer money on this special meeting,” Cr Triffitt said.

The mayor, who made the comments during the April 5 meeting in question, said the meeting was unwarranted, and the performance review could have been held as part of a regular council meeting.

Council votes for mayor to retract her statement

A motion for Ms Triffitt to withdraw her accusations was put to council by deputy mayor Jim Allwright in today’s ordinary meeting, and passed seven votes to two.

The mayor will also need to retract accusations councillors behaved in a way that reflected a personal or emotional attachment to the general manager.

In those accusations, Cr Triffitt said she “had no faith” her fellow councillors could partake “on a professional level” in an independent review of the general manager, as she had observed “Councillors Allwright, Cassidy and others” acting in a way that showed a personal attachment to her.

Additionally, she will be need to publish a notice of her retraction in the Highlands Digest, The Mercury, New Norfolk, and Derwent Valley News.

Cr Allwright said Ms Triffitt was not at all apologetic.

“She actually tried to rephrase her comments to suggest that there was potential collusion and corruption.

“She’s trashed the general manager’s reputation, and the councillor’s reputation, and that will sit with us forever if she doesn’t retract them,” he said.

During today’s meeting, the mayor said she believed the intention of her statement had been missed.

“To make clear I was, and I remain, talking about open, transparent, and good governance,” Cr Triffitt said.

Cr Triffitt reaffirmed her view that the special meeting was a waste of ratepayer’s money, and said at no stage did she specifically accuse anyone of collusion or corruption.

“I perceived it was a possibility because of all the secrecy.

“I repeat, I am worried about what continues to go on behind my back,” she said.

Cr Allwright said the council was considering progressing the matter further, including to an integrity commission.

Cr Triffitt has been contacted for further comment.

General manager begged not to resign

Deputy Mayor Jim Allwright previously asserted the special meeting was required because the general manager’s performance review was incomplete and overdue.

“We’re not abiding by the terms of the contract. At the moment we’re three months late,” Cr Allwright said.

Councillor Robert Cassidy said a previous discussion of the general manager’s contract and performance review at March’s council meeting had ended in “disarray and dysfunction”.

“The general manager refused to take her seat and was about to resign. I begged her not to resign,” he said.

Following that meeting, eight out of the nine Central Highlands councillors then signed to call a special meeting, a process Cr Allwright said was lawful.

“Five councillors can call a special meeting. They only need [to give] four days’ notice. That process was adhered to by the letter,” he said.

Former mayor called in to facilitate

Council lawyer David Morris said he previously told Cr Triffitt the meeting was valid, and her approval wasn’t needed for a special meeting to be held.

“Mayor, the statements you made are completely contrary to the legal advice you sought from me,” he said.

“I had advised the mayor that this special meeting had been validly convened.

“All the motions before this meeting are appropriate, lawful, and in my view, there would be no basis to reject any of those motions as being unlawful.”

Cr Triffitt also expressed concern that a facilitator, former Flinders Island mayor Lynn Mason, had been hired without her knowledge.

“A further concern of improper use of money is of course the facilitator,” she said.

“We need to know what Ms Mason is here for … I remain deliberately excluded from the approach, cause and cost of the use of a facilitator.”

Ms Mason said she had been invited to attend the meeting and had received a purchase order from the council.

“I strongly object to being accused of collusion and corruption without any foundation whatsoever,” she said.

Cr Allwright said it wasn’t necessarily required for the mayor to sign off on the hiring of a facilitator.

“It was a joint decision by the eight councillors,” he said.

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