Newcastle councillors have unanimously voted to support an independent investigation into links between the City of Newcastle CEO and a Newcastle Herald letter writer.
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The elected council agreed on five points from a ten-point motion raised by Labor councillor Carol Duncan at the July 25 council meeting, which involved noting media reports around CEO Jeremy Bath's connections to long-term Herald letter to the editor writer Scott Neylon and supporting an investigation by an independent conduct reviewer.
However only Labor councillors supported a further five points, which took aim at Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery as the "investigations' most prominent public supporter... who has waged a campaign against councillors via the media for nearly a year now".
The motion said the scope of the investigation should examine "how confidential electoral roll details about council staff and their friends and family came into the possession of journalists" and noted "this has occurred previously under the direction of" Ms Hornery.
The Newcastle Herald has not accessed the electoral roll at any MP office for the purposes of this investigation.
Greens councillor Charlotte McCabe said the motion made "some really serious claims about a member of parliament and we don't have any proof of those claims".
"I don't understand why this had to happen in the chamber tonight," she said.
"I feel that councillors are treating this serious and sensitive issue without a level of professionalism that I really did expect."
Greens councillor John Mackenzie said he supported any methods to uphold the council's Code of Conduct but couldn't support "attempts to use that as a platform to engage in other activities in addition to that process, that completely muddy the water".
Deputy lord mayor Declan Clausen said the council was dealing with a very serious matter and it was "impossible not to recognise that there is a very serious gutter political campaign afoot that does require investigation".
Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said it was "exceptionally disappointing that we have been put in this situation".
"There are a number of people that have contributed to that," she said.
"I would prefer not to be dealing with any of this tonight, but again it's been forced upon us, unfortunately by local members of parliament, a request that I'm yet to receive from the minister, an ongoing media campaign and obviously our duty of care to staff members but also for the integrity of council processes."
Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
