A push for local Councillors to be transparent when it comes to meetings with property developers and lobbyists has been labelled as “crucial”.
City of Parramatta Council has supported a motion to establish a stronger lobbying policy, over concerns the community feels like they’re being kept in the dark when it comes to decision-making.
Independent Councillor Kellie Darley, who moved the motion, said she has seen unethical lobbying a “number of times” during her time on Council.
“This Notice of Motion is really about trust and perception, it’s so critical for a healthy democracy that our community trusts in the integrity of the decisions Council is making,” she said.
“Just in the short two years I have been a Councillor, I have directly observed several incidents of what I would classify as unethical lobbying.”
The motion calls for City of Parramatta Councillors and the CEO to publicly disclose their meetings with registered lobbyists and property developers – bringing the local representatives in line with State and Federal Government officials.
It also moves that Council update its lobbying policy to incorporate the quarterly reporting of meetings with registered lobbyists and property developers.
Adding that City of Parramatta’s current policy is written more “as a guide,” Darley said Councillors must do better when it comes to disclosing these meetings.
“There is no requirement for us to disclose, it talks about appropriate, inappropriate lobbying, but again there’s no requirement for us to do the proactive level of transparency that I believe our community expects,” she added.
“We need to make sure that lobbying is fair and doesn’t undermine the public confidence in impartial decision making.
“The suspicions that the community have are going to continue unless we’re transparent.”
Council documents said the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has recommended on “multiple occasions” that the Lobbying of Government Officials Act (2011) be extended to include Local Government Officials.
Labor Councillor Cameron Maclean also backed the call for more transparency.
“Anything we can do to improve the way in which our community observes our decisions is a good thing,” he said.
“Clearly there has been a repetition of different scandals over the last 30 years that have made these recommendations necessary.”
The motion comes after City of Canada Bay Council Mayor Angelo Tsirekas and others were investigated over planning decisions dating back to 2015 – ultimately leading to Tsirekas’ recent dismissal from public office.
Parramatta Council will now write to the Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig, outlining its support for increasing integrity in Local Government by urgently adopting ICAC’s recommendations.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.