00:00Behind the wheel of Liverpool City Council has been a revolving door of CEOs.
00:07The latest to go was former State Liberal MP John Ojaka.
00:11He was suspended in April after a meeting in which he directed some colourful language
00:15at the Mayor.
00:16The Council had no choice but to take action on that.
00:18We cannot accept bullying behaviour.
00:20In May, the Council voted to sack Mr Ojaka, despite an internal investigator finding the
00:26comment was trivial.
00:28By that point, the Office of Local Government had launched its own investigation into the
00:32Council.
00:33The Office's 50-page interim report released today is scathing.
00:37As well as finding the CEO was denied procedural fairness, the probe has uncovered widespread
00:42dysfunction at the Council, and even evidence of potential maladministration and or corruption.
00:48I don't trust the Council, I don't trust the politicians.
00:50The report raised concerns about the non-merit-based selection of staff, including hiring family
00:56members and politically-affiliated people, and hiring men over women.
01:00A lot of people, especially in the Liverpool area, we come to Australia for equal opportunities.
01:05The report contains allegations of a toxic culture, including bullying, intimidation
01:10and sexual harassment.
01:11You just couldn't work there anymore.
01:12People were leaving, people were upset, it's just shocking all around.
01:17The report claims Councillors and the Mayor were allegedly, inappropriately, lobbying
01:22staff on development and compliance matters.
01:25Salaries were determined arbitrarily at high levels for senior officers.
01:31The Liverpool Mayor, who is a Liberal Party member, says the Minister's plan to suspend
01:35the Council is political.
01:37He describes the Office of Local Government's report as a shopping list of unfounded allegations
01:42by people with a grudge against him and the Council.
01:45This is a Labor Minister, part of a Labor government, denying the people of Liverpool
01:49their democratic right just over 50 days from an election.
01:53The Minister has also flagged his intention to delay the Council's September election.
01:57If it is suspended, external administrators will take control until the inquiry is complete.
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