In the Borough of Queenscliffe, Australia’s last surviving borough, things are going a bit south. This civil unrest comes on the heels of a formal warning served to its Chief Executive Officer, Martin Gill. This small local government area is only 8.6 square kilometers. With about 3,238 residents, it is the smallest and least-populated of all 79 local government areas in Victoria.
The borough comprises the suburb of Queenscliff, part of Point Lonsdale and military land on Swan Island. In response, the Local Government Inspectorate issued a formal warning. They looked into Gill’s management of a councillor’s Notice of Motion (NOM) on his own performance appraisal from last March of last year.
Aida Rejzovic, Inspector of Municipal Administration, approved the decision. While she asserted that at least a “likely” violation of the act occurred, she decided against moving for prosecution.
Leadership Challenges
The council’s raw nakedness would be bad enough by itself, but made even worse by the leadership’s continued coup attempts. Councilor Michael Grout expressed his alarm on the issue, saying there was a “toxic culture” on the council. Last year, he announced that he would not run for re-election. What was most refreshing was to hear him share his frustrations with an otherwise underperforming administration. These resurfacing challenges ultimately compelled him to announce his intention to resign.
About a month ago, I made up my mind that I wouldn’t be running again. My decision surprised many, and that’s only because they don’t understand how soul-sucking it is to work in a failing mayoral administration with a toxic environment.
His resignation came just months after Councillor Fleur Hewitt resigned in May 2023, more than doubling the amount of instability in the township’s council. Grout disclosed that Martin Gill issued him verbal threats in late 2024. This led to further allegations of the culture and atmosphere that Gill cultivated in the workplace.
“He could take me apart whenever he wanted.” – Michael Grout
Inspectorate’s Findings
At the end of an investigation into the actions of Martin Gill, Local Government Inspectorate, this was resolved by way of a formal warning, not prosecution. Prosecutor Aida Rejzovic noted that any future violations would result in harsher punishments for Gill.
“Any future action of similar nature may be treated differently and may ultimately result in charges being brought against Mr. Gill,” Rejzovic stated. She further highlighted that the circumstances leading to the decision to not prosecute were considered and included by the Inspectorate in their decision making.
“Upon considering the seriousness of the offence, any mitigating or aggravating circumstances, the availability and efficacy of any alternatives to prosecution, the use of public funds in seeking prosecution, it was determined that, in this instance, the public interest is not best served by prosecuting this case,” – Aida Rejzovic
In reaction to these announcements, the Borough of Queenscliffe released a media statement. Their statement welcomed the Inspectorate’s findings and paid deep regard to its independence.
“The appropriate authority, independent of Council, being the Local Government Inspectorate, has carried out an investigation and made its determination, and Council will respect the independence and authority of that body and regard the formal warning as the appropriate response to the matters considered.” – Borough of Queenscliffe
“Beyond that, Council will not be commenting.” – Borough of Queenscliffe
Implications for Governance
The controversy around Gill’s management has raised alarming questions about governance and accountability within one of Victoria’s smallest councils. __Photo by David Yu on Unsplash__ The official reprimand is the formal notice. It sends a message that council members need to hold themselves to higher standards for conduct.
Martin Gill has admitted this mistake, having given preliminary advice on the NOM before recognizing the potential conflict of interest. Hartsock’s stated remorse for his actions won’t insulate him from intense questioning about whether he can credibly lead in the future.
“I made the mistake of providing some initial advice to a councillor on a proposed Notice of Motion, before recognising the potential conflict,” – Martin Gill
The council is extremely maneuvering through some stormy waters. Residents are then left to wonder what future direction their local government will take. With leadership changes and ongoing tensions, the Borough of Queenscliffe will need to address these challenges head-on to restore faith in its administration.
