Question Time

LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE OF CONDUCT

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:31): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Local Government a question regarding a code of conduct for councils.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Yesterday, the minister released a draft mandatory code of conduct for local councils. The code sets new rules for standards of behaviour and integrity for members of the state's 68 councils. The minister praised the behaviour of most councillors, but conceded, 'from time to time council members might behave in a way that is simply not acceptable to the community'.

Even while the minister was on his feet, the electors in the City of Prospect are coming to terms with a most curious phenomenon. They have been receiving texts from one David O'Loughlin, who may be familiar to members opposite as a member of the South Australian branch of the Labor Party. 'Friends,' reads Mayor O'Loughlin's text, 'if you would like the progress you have seen in the last five years in the City of Prospect...'. The text then waffles on a bit, and finally comes the pitch, Mr President: 'I urge you to vote 1 Jill Bottrall.'

Jill Bottrall may be familiar to members opposite as a member of the South Australian branch of the Labor Party, the former apologist for premier Mike Rann, and a candidate in the City of Prospect by-election. 'I have known Jill for 16 years in Prospect,' O'Loughlin continues, '...great character, sensible decision maker, determined to keep things moving. If you have a vote or know people who do, please urge them to vote 1 Jill Bottrall'. If you have a vote! This text went out to thousands of people, and Mr O'Loughlin did not even know if they have a vote. And, we all know that Ms Bottrall failed dismally; she trailed a distant third.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: Fourth.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: However, Mr President, I have now discovered that these texts came from the same phone number as—and this may be difficult to believe—not a personal number, but the mobile listed on the council's website as belonging to the Mayor of the City of Prospect, David O'Loughlin. My questions to the minister are:

1. Does the minister believe it is right, or ethical, or good conduct for a party member and a mayor to use council-provided and ratepayer-funded resources to promote his party's candidate in a by-election?

2. How does the minister think that people who do not support Labor—and, by the result in that by-election, that is a lot of people who don't—feel about their rates being used for a political campaign?

3. Will such practices be outlawed by the code of conduct?

4. Will the minister use his best endeavours to get the mayor to refund the cost of that election campaign back to the City of Prospect and to the ratepayers who pick up the mayor's phone bill every month?

5. Does the minister concede that this is one of those times when, 'from time to time, council members might behave in a way that is simply not acceptable to the community'?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:34): I would like to make a number of points about this, Mr President. First of all, this is obviously an attempt to smear the name of a very good mayor down at Prospect, David O'Loughlin. This is not unusual for the opposition; they often use this chamber to denigrate and slander the names of very decent citizens.

I do make it a practice personally, as a minister, of not getting involved in the runnings of various councils, but I will say this, now that this has come to light, obviously the Prospect city council will do what they need to do under their current codes of practice, but we will be introducing a mandated code of conduct very shortly and this will provide certain measures and sanctions which councils can then use to discipline various acts.

Now I don't know the actual circumstances other than what the Hon. Mr Ridgway has stated, but, as I said, the Prospect council have the powers and the ability to make their own decisions and I'll leave it in those hands.

The PRESIDENT: A supplementary question.