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A former Sydney councillor who was investigated by the corruption watchdog has been referred to a tribunal for alleged misconduct after he accused the council’s general manager of being driven by her “hatred” of him and another councillor to allegedly leak information about the probe to the media, a tribunal decision says.
Former Georges River Liberal councillor Con Hindi argues his remarks alleging the general manager had a “vendetta” against him and his colleague, former Labor councillor Vince Badalati, were “defensive comments made emotionally in the heat of the moment” at a council meeting last year, according to a decision published by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Tuesday.
Con Hindi arrives at the Independent Commission Against Corruption during hearings for Operation Galley in August.Credit:Brook Mitchell
The decision says the Office of Local Government in August referred several allegations of misconduct to the tribunal, which this week decided were serious enough to warrant proceedings.
It’s the second time Hindi’s conduct as a councillor has come under the spotlight this year.
Hindi was a central figure in the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s inquiry into whether three former Georges River and Hurstville councillors accepted perks, including overseas flights and accommodation, from property developers in exchange for supporting their projects in Hurstville.
The tribunal’s decision says the misconduct allegations revolve around Hindi’s behaviour at a Georges River council meeting where the ICAC investigation, known as Operation Galley, was discussed on May 24, 2021.
It said Hindi alleged during the meeting that the council’s then-general manager, Gail Connolly, had improperly disclosed information about the ICAC probe to the Herald.
During a discussion about the council’s legal expenses, Hindi told the meeting that “leaking confidential information is a criminal offence”, but “the general manager chose to put it in the public”.
“You’re not allowed to disclose anything … to do with ICAC, an investigation, but the general manager did. She leaked it to the Herald,” the decision says.
“Mate, half a million dollars someone gets paid to leak information. I’ll tell you, that information being leaked, and it is leaked, and it is there, and I am happy to be sued.”
Connolly denies leaking the information.
In another exchange, Hindi questioned why a motion on the council agenda did not refer by name to himself or to Badalati, who was also investigated by the corruption watchdog.
When Connolly tried to answer the question, Hindi interjected and said words to the effect of:
“There’s hatred here for me and Vince [Badalati] … There is a vendetta that is happening against me and Cr Badalati … and we’re trying to protect other people.”
The tribunal’s decision also said the council’s legal services director, Jenny Ware, was responding to a question at the meeting about external legal counsel when Hindi had gesticulated towards her and the then-mayor and said words to the effect of, “She can’t – she’s sitting on your lap”.
Lawyers for the Office of Local Government argued Hindi’s comments amounted to harassment and had humiliated Ware.
According to the decision, Hindi said in submissions that his conduct constituted “defensive comments made emotionally in the heat of the moment which were withdrawn or apologised for at the time and subsequently”.
Hindi, who did not stand for re-election as a councillor in the local government polls in December 2021, argued there was little to be gained from rehashing the matter.
Lawyers for the Office of Local Government said the claims were “quite serious”.
Tribunal deputy president Susanne Cole said in her decision the lawyers had established an “arguable case of misconduct” against Hindi, and the allegations were “sufficiently serious” to warrant proceedings.
The case is listed for directions on December 13.
The ICAC has yet to hand down its report from Operation Galley.
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