Goulburn district man 'calls out secrecy' surrounding GM's departure

Woodhouselee grazier and former corporate businessman Ian Anderson said he was astounded by events of the past month and believed the community deserved far greater transparency from councillors.

He was referring to Mr Bennett's shock departure on Tuesday. He was originally contracted to March, 2023 but on February 15 the new council "accepted his resignation with regret." It was to become effective on July 8.

On Tuesday, the council announced that Mr Bennett had left that day, would do no further work yet would remain a contracted employee until July 8.

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The arrangement, contained in a confidential deed of release, will trigger a payout. Mr Bennett's salary package is $350,000 annually, according to the council's annual plan.

Mayor Peter Walker has denied any rift or tense working relationship with Mr Bennett. He and other councillors have declined detailed comment, citing the deed of release signed in February. The mayor said it was necessary in this case and has rejected claims the council lacked transparency.

Mr Anderson said everything had been kept secret and the circumstances didn't pass "the pub test."

"I don't understand how a man who has been working in that role for eight years, in charge of a growing city, all of a sudden finds that he has to resign," he said.

"...If there are problems surrounding legality, personalities, or the desire of the new council to change direction, then get it out there...There's no shame in that."

But instead, Mr Anderson said the community was none the wiser on why the GM had decided to leave sooner.

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Cr Walker has stood behind the need for confidentiality, citing the "mutually agreed" legal deed of release.

"As a mayor I won't break that confidence," he said.

However Mr Anderson said several new councillors had pledged transparency before being elected.

"The community was looking forward to that. From my perspective, they wanted to stand on the shoulders of people who had gone before so the community could benefit," he said.

"...I'm disappointed that their first major decision (is so secret). It sets a precedent and I don't think that's healthy."

He did not have major concerns with the payout, saying that "sadly" this generally applied in the corporate world. It was more the manner of his departure.

Mr Anderson reasoned it wasn't unusual for a new council to want a direction change. By the same token, he said Mr Bennett had been instrumental in "standing up" on several major issues, including Veolia's waste to energy proposal at Woodlawn, doing his own research and challenging state policies.

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He had also applied himself to the Wakefield Park raceway controversy.

"Losing that sort of brain and energy is a bit sad," he said.

The grazier told The Post he'd never met or had a conversation with Mr Bennett but had emailed him regarding his concerns about the waste to energy facility. In turn, the GM had kept him in the loop on this issue.

"I'm a retiree who has lived around Goulburn for the past seven years," he said.

"I want to contribute to the community on all sorts of things. We have a voice and when things aren't right we need to speak up. I want to call this out as a citizen.

"(Mr Bennett's) departure doesn't have to be confidential. It can be talked about in a public manner but keeping (the circumstances) secret is not healthy."

Cr Walker acknowledged he'd fielded community questions about Mr Bennett's departure.

"The word transparency is very obvious in the political atmosphere but so too is protecting people's privacy, their financial situation and ongoing employment. This was in the deed of release," he said.

As to whether the matter "passed the pub test," Cr Walker described the deed as a legal avenue "put in place for a reason."

He told The Post that no single party had proposed the early departure and payout clause but was mutually agreed following suggestions by all legal representatives.

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Asked how this benefited the community, the mayor said he was only one of nine councillors. The deed was drawn up after the January 11 mayoral election and the majority of councillors endorsed it at the February 15 ordinary meeting.

"No one (in the community) has raised the payout with me directly. Some things have been said but I wish people had the facts," Cr Walker said.

He said no argument or issue on Tuesday prompted Mr Bennett to exercise the clause.

Cr Walker argued that the former and existing council were "very transparent" generally, except on this matter which had legal parameters.

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