Liverpool City Council tries to avoid suspension as minister criticises ‘worst thing I’ve ever seen’

Liverpool City Council has launched a last-minute appeal to stop the Minns Government delaying local government elections and appointing a chief executive, despite a junior minister branding a laundry list of allegations as “the worst I have ever seen against a council”.

As Liverpool’s acting chief executive Jason Breton announced the council’s legal strategy, which could cost taxpayers more than $1 million, Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig on Thursday reiterated the list of “extremely serious” allegations in a damning preliminary report released in mid-July.

“The inquiry … raised very serious concerns that the Liverpool issue went beyond the non-merit-based selection of staff,” Hoenig said in the budget estimates, adding that the interim report detailed issues that were “probably the worst I have ever seen at a council”.

During the hearing, Hoenig recited an extensive list of allegations contained in the contested report, including bullying and sexual harassment, improper interference by elected officials in development applications, nepotistic recruitment processes, destruction of public documents and circumvention of procurement procedures.

The Office of Local Government report was released on 19 July and the council launched legal proceedings against the state government in the Land and Environment Court. The writ alleged that Hoenig and Office of Local Government Secretary Brett Whitworth had shown bias in the publication of the report.

During the three-day hearing, the government’s lawyer acknowledged that the interim report had not treated the individuals named fairly.

In a blanket dismissal on Monday, Justice John Robson ruled that there was no suspicion or actual bias and that the government had not unduly influenced the investigation. But just hours before the appeal period expired, Breton emailed councillors to inform them that he had appealed the ruling.

“I have made this decision in the interests of the Council, after considering the advice of counsel on the prospects and general merits of an appeal,” he said in an email seen by the Herald. I did not take this decision lightly.”