Improper question

THE Mt Barker Council has a target of improving diversity in council staff (age and gender).

At the council meeting of 1 August 2022, and through a question on notice, councillor Ian Grosser asked a series of questions about the progress on this target including progress on a Diversity and Inclusion plan and work done by a consultant to review practices in this area. He also asked about how the requirements of the council’s Recruitment and Selection Policy had been met by senior and middle management council appointments and how many vacancies had been filled  by external recruits.

At the above council meeting, Councillor Grosser was refused answers to his questions by Mayor Ann Ferguson stating the questions would not be answered as the whole topic was, quote ‘improper’ (according to the minutes of that meeting).

It seems to me that the questions were quite reasonable from a councillor and the refusal begs the question what does the Mayor want to keep quiet?

Are they following the policies with respect to employment diversity and advertising jobs externally or not, and what has the consultant recommended?

What is there to hide?

The council is supposed to be run by elected councillors and they should be able to get reasonable questions answered not refused. Otherwise we are entitled to think there is a fiefdom and our elected members are being ignored.

Brian Calvert, Mt Barker