Senior Blue Mountains City Council staff have been cleared of wrongdoing following an investigation into “jobs for the boys” allegations.
The council-commissioned investigation by McCullough Robertson Lawyers examined allegations of improper staff recruitment raised by 2GB radio host Ray Hadley last November.
“The investigation found that there has been no breach of council’s code of conduct, no breach of relevant policies and procedures and no corrupt conduct. The allegations are unsubstantiated,” said the mayor, Mark Greenhill.
“Importantly, all named individuals who were the subject of the allegations aired in the media in early November and since, have been cleared of any wrongdoing”, he said.
Council’s acting general manager, Stuart Liddell, was forced to stand down from his role following the airing of the allegations last year.
The most serious of these related to Mark Mulligan, who was engaged by council as a safety consultant from September to December 2016 and later employed as the acting director of service delivery.
Mr Mulligan’s role at council is central to NSW Local Government Minister Gabrielle Upton’s latest notice of intention to suspend Blue Mountains City Council, currently before the courts.
Although Mr Mulligan had previously worked with Stuart Liddell at Essential Energy, the Gazette understands the report found his selection for both roles was not inappropriately influenced by this relationship.
Mr Mulligan was shortlisted for the acting director’s position by an outside recruitment agency and the council undertook an appropriately independent and objective recruitment process.
Other allegations centred on a candidate employed in a 12-month senior position, who knew Stuart Liddell as both men were members of Wentworth Falls Country Club. The investigation heard Mr Liddell declared a conflict of interest in this case and was replaced in the recruitment process.
The Gazette understands the report found that neither membership of the country club or the candidate’s relationship with Mr Liddell helped his prospects of employment by council or affected his salary.
Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill described the report’s findings as “unambiguous and without qualification”.
“It is important to acknowledge the impact of the allegations on the professional and personal lives of the individuals who were the subject of the investigation.”
Council discussed the report at an extraordinary meeting last Wednesday, March 21, adopting all its recommendations relating to staff recruitment.
“The council willingly adopted the recommendations of the report which largely relate to improvements in some organisational policies and procedures to improve clarity and consistency, to code of conduct training, and to building up our Human Resources (HR) management to enhance our employee relations as well as our HR policies, programs, and practices,” said the mayor.
Council’s general manager will now develop a plan outlining how council will implement the report’s recommendations, in accordance with the Performance Improvement Order in place with the Minister for Local Government.
