I find it incredible Peter Hemphill would attempt to besmirch the majority of Hobsons Bay councillors who attended the MAV Councillor Development weekend by alleging they didn’t attend any workshops or seminars.
I was the MAV president who established those annual MAV weekend events for councillor peers to come together from across the state once a year. The get-together of councillors operates on a range of levels, such as workshops, seminars, breakout sessions, dinners, coffees, etc allowing councillors an opportunity to interact in formal and informal environments.
In that time, and to my recollection, Cr Hemphill has never attended even ONE MAV sponsored Councillor Development weekend, which goes to show he has demonstrated little interest in working with, or understanding, local government matters from a “global” perspective.
Also, Cr Hemphill “shockingly” revealed some councillors may have had a coffee on the main street of Creswick (it is a one street town) or may have ventured into – wait for it – God forbid – BALLARAT.
If they did for whatever reason, who cares?
There is no evidence any Hobsons Bay councillor did the wrong thing at any time during the weekend away. Cr Hemphill in making such baseless and egregious assertions without a scintilla of evidence is grossly irresponsible.
Let’s look at Cr Hemphill’s travelogue record; he did spend significant ratepayer dollars visiting Japan in 2005 when he took his family on a jaunt. While he paid for them … how much work did he undertake on behalf of residents as opposed to sightseeing with the family?
If he demands the present councillors should refund the cost of the event at Creswick, he should do the same for his lame excuse in tripping off to the land of the Rising Sun on the public purse.
@BT Bold Normal ST:Brad Matheson,
Past President
Municipal Association ofVictoria (1997 – 2004)
