Barkly Regional Council has refused to release details of a review into the council’s “people systems” and “business processes” undertaken by an outside law firm, which was announced in the wake of media reports of a “flood of resignations amid bullying and mismanagement claims” primarily focused on CEO Emma Bradbury and Mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin.

Ms Bradbury claimed there were no NT Government representatives at a special confidential meeting held on January 12 – where the review was considered by councillors – despite multiple sources telling the NT Independent there were.

There are no published minutes from that meeting but the minutes from the December 15 general meeting show the man who the NT Government appointed to manage Palmerston Council after its councillors were sacked for dysfunction in 2017 was present to provide “independent governance advice” to the Barkly council.

Former Darwin Council executive Mark Blackburn was also listed in the minutes as being present as a visitor at a special confidential meeting on December 23, which, because of a lack of a quorum, was forced to be postponed and became the January 12 meeting where the review was considered.

In a media release last week, Deputy Mayor Russell O’Donnell said the report was received at the meeting but said they still could not talk about the review.

Council’s then-Alyawarr Ward’s Noel Hayes – who was one of four councillors who resigned in mid-December because he had issues with the way council was functioning and because of the mayor’s behaviour – was the chair of the council business processes review committee which was to receive the report from Melbourne’s Justitia Lawyers, a small Melbourne firm, engaged by council to review it’s “people systems” and “business processes”.

He said in a communication with staff when it was announced in late November that the review was being undertaken because of a “number of changes and staffing matters which have attracted negative media attention”.

In late September, the ABC reported there had been a “flood of resignations amid allegations of bullying and mismanagement”, but wrote that Mayor McLaughlin and Ms Bradbury said the complaints were the “venting” of a “small group of disgruntled ex-employees”.

They both strongly deny the allegations against them.

Sources said the review came about after someone within the Department of Chief Minister told council they had to deal with the allegations, and that Justita lawyers interviewed at least 12 current or former employees using an organisation review questionnaire similar to one conducted by the council’s former CEO several years ago, with questions such as: “What is your experience of working at Barkly Regional Council”?

But several sources said most of those who had been interviewed told the interviewers the questions did not address the real problems at the council, and it then became more of a “conversation” with descriptions of problems with management, with the law firm then taking their findings to the NT Government.

One source said that out of 12 people they knew who were interviewed, 11 used the word “toxic” to describe the workplace.

Justita Lawyers partner Magda Marciniak said the firm would not be providing comment.

Multiple sources also said Ms Bradbury had formulated the review structure and questions despite the allegations against her, but in a response to detailed questions, council’s media manager Tash Adams only provided an answer to one question, denying the presence of government representatives.

Ms Bradbury did not respond to what role she had in creating the questions and structure for the “review”, or if Justita Lawyers had informed the government of its findings.

Nor did she respond to questions asking if the review, at least in part, was looking at the number of resignations, about the appropriateness of her being involved in considering the allegations, and what action the NT Government has taken so far, if any, on the basis of the information that was in that review, and what other action is planned or possible.

The Local Government Department sits under the Department of Chief Minister and Cabinet and neither Chief Minister Natasha Fyles or department chief executive Frank Daly would answer questions about Justitia Lawyers providing them with information from the report, of if they were aware of this information, and what the nature of the problems raised by the employees were.

They would also not say what, if any action would be taken to deal with the situation at Barkly Regional Council.

Mayor and CEO told to take no further part in “review” or investigating allegations against them

Sources have told the NT Independent that during the January 12 meeting, Ms Bradbury and Mr McLaughlin were told they could have no further role in the “review” process despite the sources not understanding why they had had any involvement up until that point.

The minutes for the cancelled December 23 special confidential council meeting list Mr McLaughlin and Ms Bradbury as apologies with a declared conflict of interest but sources had said they were at the January 12 special confidential meeting.

Ms Bradbury had continued to refer to it as a review of its “people systems” and “business processes” despite the allegations of bullying and mismanagement, and did not respond to a question about whether it was, in part at least, investigating the allegations against her and the Mayor.