The Mystery of the Missing Barke & the Rate Payers who want to see him

Council CEO Craig Barke was absent from last week's Council meeting.  

The Mayor, the Courier Mail and Greg Hallam from the shadowy Local Government Association Queensland (LGAQ) say it was because of stress. 

 A terse Courier Mail article on Wednesday said the "toxic" environment of the Scenic Rim Council had caused Barke to be away on "stress leave".  

Mr Barke says he was not on stress leave.

Craig Barke went on to say that he wasn't consulted before the Courier Mail ran the story where Greg Hallam was reported as having asked the Deputy Premier to intervene in the affairs of the Scenic Rim Regional Council. 

How Mr Hallam came to "know" that Barke was "stressed" is unclear.  Almost as unclear as the role that the secretive LGAQ plays in our democracy.   The role the Courier Mail plays is becoming clearer.

However the Mayor's account and Mr Hallam's account are strangely similar. 

Cr Brent volunteered at the Tuesday Council meeting that the CEO was on sick leave.  Later on Tuesday, Hallam reportedly told the Courier Mail's Sarah Vogler that Mr Barke was stressed because "rising tensions between Councillors became intolerable".

The LGAQ's Greg Hallam has called for the Deputy Premier and Minister for Local Government, Paul Lucas, to step in and sort it out.  This would be a serious intervention in the Scenic Rim Regional Council's affairs. 

Mr Hallam is the CEO of the Local Government Association of Queensland.  This astonishing call for official State Government intervention into the internal affairs of the Scenic Rim Regional Council reflects badly on the authority of both the Mayor and the CEO.

The current State Government has the power to dismiss dysfunctional Councils and it has used them in the past.

Hallam's call for State help indicates he believes that the Mayor and CEO cannot effectively manage the affairs of the Scenic Rim on behalf of rate payers by themselves.   Mayor Brent was once seen as a candidate for Deputy Premier in any Campbell Newman run Sate Government.

The publishing of this incendiary Courier Mail article was followed later on Wednesday by an equally terse open email purportedly from CEO Craig Barke to all Council Staff.  In the email, Mr Barke says he was well, not on stress leave and his absence was due to "a long standing prior commitment".

"I just wanted to clarify for you all that contrary to reports in todays (sic) paper, im (sic) not on stress leave.  The article was written without consultation with me and im (sic) not aware of the source."

Cr Derek Swanborough had a discussion with Council Finance Manager Gillion Cook before Tuesday's Council meeting.  Swanborough claims Cook said that Barke was well but had a meeting in the city that day. 

So it looks likely that Barke was not on stress leave as reported in the Courier Mail but at a meeting in Brisbane.  With Mr Barke being involved in many official complaints registered with the Director General of Local Government, one might wonder if there is a connection.

	Craig Barke and Mayor John Brent in a typical Council meeting

In any case, Craig Barke missed the Tuesday Council meeting where he is normally seen sitting quietly alongside Mayor John Brent. 

Barke is always ready with facts and figures to support the Mayor, as Cr Brent conducts the highly orchestrated public meetings. 

Council meets in private session prior to the public meeting to do the substantive work before the theatre piece - sorry: "The Council Meeting" - which the media and public get to see. 

In these private meetings, the actual decisions are discussed and decided in confidential session.  Councillors get severely punished if they disclose the private goings-on of Council. 

So only the highly sanitized versions of discussions and decisions ever get put before the open public sessions. 

Meanwhile our latest reader's survey indicates our highly paid CEO should front up and justify himself publicly to rate payers. 

Around 75% of readers who responded to our online survey indicated that the CEO - who is paid over a quarter of million dollars every year - needs to publicly discuss the decisions he makes and give rate payers an insight into why he has made so many controversial rulings.

Our survey on reader opinions on Council generously paid CEO Craig Barke's need to report to rate payers regularly to justify his decisions.  (The survey reports the choices of the readers who participate and is not a scientific measurement.)

 Mr Barke has huge discretionary powers over Council, staff, Councillors and rate payers, something which rankles one Councillor.

Cr Derek Swanborough says, "Craig Barke can spend up to one million dollars without Council approval."

"The CEO has a 26 Million dollars labour budget which he can spend," said Swanborough, "And Mr Barke has indicated that he believes he can spend it as he sees fit. Only after it goes over 26 million dollars does he need to seek Council's approval."
 

As Council CEO, Mr Barke can unilaterally set policies that directly impact Councillors, staff and rate payers without having to justify the decisions to rate payers.  For example, Barke has reported Cr Swanborough for talking to a senior member of Council staff directly, without notifying Barke or a Council Director in writing of his request for information.  If Swanborough personally asks Council staff for information again, he can be dismissed for misconduct. 

This extraordinary "gag" rule is not part of the Local Government Act; this is something Barke has decided upon as part of his CEO Guidelines.  This particular "gag" rule is in stark contrast to the normal practice in most other Councils but appears typical of the Scenic Rim Council's fanatical attempt to rigidly control access to information by elected representatives and the media.

Indeed, with the Councillors themselves now being portrayed as members of a Board who must publicly support the Council and all its decisions, many rate payers question who is actually representing them in Council decisions.

So perhaps it is time for Mr Barke to front the public. 

A CEO of a company has to stand before an Annual General Meeting and they issue quarterly reports.  There are potential legal ramifications if these public statements are wrong or misleading. 

Company CEO's cannot hide behind their Chairman.  Yes.  It is time Mr Barke was held to account publicly. 

Mr Barke should welcome the opportunity to demonstrate the nature of his honesty, integrity and independence before those who pay his very generous salary. 

NOTE:  Mr Barke was invited to respond to a detailed series of questions on this matter.  The LGAQ has called for State Government intervention into the affairs of the Scenic Rim Regional Council.  This is a very serious action.  We expected Mr Barke to respond but he did not.  If he does, we will publish his response on this serious issue and the curious mis-reporting of his absence from a Council meeting.