Barkly Regional Council Mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin has been charged for the second time in less than five months after allegedly driving with marijuana in his system again, sources have told the NT Independent.
The latest charges, announced late yesterday afternoon, comes while he and the council’s chief executive are currently dealing with the fallout of a “review” into “people systems” and “business processes” after reports of a “flood of resignations amid allegations of bullying and mismanagement”.
NT Police media manager Margaret McKeown said in a statement on Friday that a 42-year-old man was arrested for drug driving in Tennant Creek that morning after returning a positive road side test result for cannabis.
She said he was charged with unspecified drug driving offences and bailed to appear in Alice Springs Local Court on February 27.
Multiple sources confirmed to the NT Independent the man was Mr McLaughlin, who was also charged after being pulled over by police on September 19, when he also allegedly gave a positive road side test result for marijuana.
In statement at the time, NT Police then-media manager Rob Cross said police searched a Tennant Creek residence and seized a number of cannabis plants and material, and that Mr McLaughlin had been charged with driving under the influence of drugs, supplying less than a commercial quantity of a schedule 2 drug, possessing less than a traffickable quantity of a schedule 2 drug, and cultivating less than a traffickable quantity of a prohibited plant.
Mayor had been driving council car before and after first arrest
Council chief executive officer Emma Bradbury later confirmed to the NT Independent the mayor was driving a council car when stopped during work hours for the first arrest, but both herself and the mayor maintained it is a personal matter.
“The charges are a private matter and unrelated to his role as mayor so it is inappropriate for council or councillors to comment on the matter,” she was quoted in the Tennant Creek and District Times at the time as saying.
After the September charges, Mr McLaughlin issued a statement saying he was taking “personal leave” as mayor to address “personal matters”.
“For me to continue working as the public face of council through this time will detract from our work,” said the statement provided by the Barkly council.
The leave, which was voted for by his fellow councillors who did not ask him to resign, allowed him to collect his taxpayer-funded allowance of nearly $8,000 a month, while he awaited his a court appearance to answer to the charges. He has maintained his innocence.
He was allowed to continue driving the council car.
In September, the NT Independent asked the Barkly Regional Council CEO what work health and safety risk analysis was done before allowing Mr McLaughlin to continue driving the ratepayer-funded car. There was no response to that question.
The councillor’s code of conduct is not very specific, and does not cover what happens if a councillor is charged with a crime, being more general in nature.
In part it states: “Members must act honestly and with integrity performing official functions. A member must act with reasonable care and diligence in performing official functions. A member must be prepared at all times to account for the member’s performance as a member’s use of council resources”.
At the time of McLaughlin’s initial charges, the ABC reported that the Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet said council members could be ejected from office under the Local Government Act’s disqualification criteria, however arrest did not disqualify someone from being a councillor.
Mr McLaughlin returned to the role about six weeks later.
Mayor had to cease involvement in ‘review’ into Council after mass resignations
Mayor McLaughlin has since had to step aside from any involvement in a so-called review conducted by Melbourne’s Justita Lawyers, into the council’s “people systems” and “business processes”.
Former councillor Noel Hayes, who was the head of the committee to receive the report, said in a communication with staff when it was announced, 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 Mr McLaughlin and Ms Bradbury said the complaints were the “venting” of a “small group of disgruntled ex-employees”. They have denied any wrongdoing.
However last week, the NT Independent reported sources confirming 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”?
Multiple sources also said Ms Bradbury had formulated the review structure and questions despite the allegations against her, but she refused to answer questions about it. Justita Lawyers partner Magda Marciniak said the firm would not be providing comment.
In a shock move in mid-December three Barkly councillors quit unexpectedly at a council meeting, with another also quitting the next day. Mr Hayes was one of those councillors.
He told ABC Alice Springs radio the next day if the mayor had resigned after the first lot of charges he would probably still be on council.
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