A joint statement by Cardinia Shire Mayor Cr Jack Kowarzik and Council CEO Carol Jeffs:
In the past week, Cardinia Shire Councillor Stephanie Davies has made false claims regarding the process Council has followed for the naming of the new suburb within the Pakenham East PSP to Honora and it is necessary to set the record straight.
Importantly, Council would like to reassure the community that there has been no conflict of interest in this matter and that Council at all times has followed the correct process for community consultation and naming of the suburb, in line with Geographic Names Victoria (GNV) naming rules.
Cardinia Shire Council has thoroughly reviewed Cr Davies' claims and confirmed serious inaccuracies in what the Councillor has said.
The facts are these:
- The name 'Honora' was recommended by Council officers to be put forward to the Council meeting as it was the name that received the most public votes from the engagement campaign.
- Council has no issue with the name 'Hannah', but it was not considered at that time because the request to include it was received after the agenda was published. Inclusion of an additional name at this point in the process would have resulted in the process having to stop and the entire process having to start again, delaying an outcome.
- The name 'Hannah' will be considered for the naming of other features or landmarks within the suburb.
- There was no conflict in the process because the Council employee referenced by Cr Davies was in no way involved in preparing advice or information for the council on this matter.
Council is committed to ensuring good governance and transparency in all that we do, including our community engagement activities and decision-making processes.
Good governance and transparency are embedded in our process for preparing Council reports for consideration and decision-making by Council.
In this case, all relevant information was included in the Council report that was considered at the 15 July Council meeting. This report was publicly available on our website 6 days prior, and Council officers are unable to make changes to a Council report once it has been published. However, if a councillor wishes to propose a different outcome, they have the opportunity to raise this at the Council meeting.
The Council report provided an outline of the process that was undertaken as part of the community engagement process, as well as a comprehensive analysis of the engagement data.
It is the role of Council officers and a normal part of the process for officers to provide advice to Councillors on information contained in the report, as well as any impacts that may result from alternative motions.
Council continues to liaise with Geographic Names Victoria through each step of the process for the naming of the new suburb.
