By Matt Crossman
A Hume councillor says he will push for the council to seek compensation of up to
$1 million if the state government decides to wind back plans for an independent Sunbury.
Cr Jack Medcraft said staff had spent many hours working on the secession project.
‘‘There have been countless meetings and briefings over the past few years,’’ he said.
‘‘If this doesn’t go ahead as planned, that’s all time that could have been spent doing other things. If you work out the hourly rate of the executive staff involved, you’re looking at some pretty significant compensation.’’
Cr Medcraft said Labor had guaranteed before last November’s state election that the secession would go ahead.
Acting in the final days before going into caretaker mode, the former Liberal government gazetted formal orders for Sunbury City to come into existence on July 1 this year.
It also set boundaries for the new municipality and appointed an administrator and interim chief executive.
Cr Medcraft said a compensation claim would be justified.
‘‘If they’re going to go back on this they’re going to have to pay, just like East-West Link,’’ he said.
Cr Ann Potter said there was no doubt a lot of time had been invested by council staff.
‘‘But as a council, it’s not something we have discussed at all,’’ she said of compensation.
Pro-split supporters met Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins late last month but received no confirmation that Sunbury City would come into existence in July as planned. A spokeswoman for Ms Hutchins, who is leading a review of the secession project, did not respond before
Star Weekly went to print.
