What me worry? The no action CEO and another waste of funds
Code of conduct inaction - escalating numbers and costs - no improvement
Shoalhaven City Council has tabled its 2024-25 Code of Conduct report — and it reveals a system that’s costing ratepayers plenty but delivering nothing in return.
Thirty complaints. Zero breaches. Nearly $73,000 in costs.
That’s the snapshot of Shoalhaven’s governance culture in 2024-25 — and it’s worse than any comparable council in regional NSW.
So, about 250–375 potholes could be filled for the same money Shoalhaven spent on Code of Conduct complaints last year.
That’s enough to smooth the main roads through several towns — or, put differently, a year of councillor bickering cost the community the equivalent of hundreds of road repairs.
An explosion of complaints
The latest report, presented to Council on 11 November 2025, shows an extraordinary rise in complaints:
That’s a five-fold increase in complaints in just one year. Most came from the community — 22 from residents, 6 from councillors, 2 from the CEO — but not one resulted in a finding of wrongdoing.
“Thirty complaints, zero findings. Either the councillors are saints or the system is broken.”
What’s really happening
Almost every complaint was sent to external conduct reviewers. None were upheld.
Three remain open, and $34,588 — nearly half the total cost — went to those reviewers.
The Council warns in its own report that failing to address conduct complaints can erode trust, damage reputation, and fuel internal conflict. But these figures show that’s already happened.
High complaint numbers with zero outcomes are the hallmark of a system that protects power, not the public.
Either legitimate complaints are being buried in process, or the process itself is being weaponised for politics — used to exhaust critics while delivering no accountability.
How Shoalhaven compares
Shoalhaven’s record isn’t just bad in isolation — it’s an outlier across NSW.
Wollongong City Council (population 220k): 5 complaints, minimal cost, one matter open — normal.
Eurobodalla Shire: 4 complaints, one minor breach.
Coffs Harbour: 6 complaints, one breach and training outcome.
Bega Valley and MidCoast: typically under 10 complaints per year, small budgets, at least one upheld breach each year.
Shoalhaven (population 110k): 30 complaints, 0 breaches, $72,838 cost.
For a council of Shoalhaven’s size, a normal range would be 5–10 complaints per year.
Shoalhaven’s 30 is triple that — with not a single disciplinary outcome.
Across NSW, the Office of Local Government reports thousands of complaints over recent years, calling the state’s councillor conduct system “fundamentally broken.” But even against that backdrop, Shoalhaven’s ratio of complaints to outcomes is among the worst.
“Shoalhaven isn’t just part of a broken system — it’s one of the worst examples of it.”
The cost to ratepayers
$72,838 is not a rounding error.
It’s money that could have resurfaced two suburban roads or funded a community grant program.
Instead, it went into process without resolution — lawyers, reviewers, and administration hours for 30 cases that produced nothing but frustration and paperwork.
What this says about governance
The numbers paint a picture of a council culture where accountability goes to die.
Thirty separate complaints suggest deep public concern.
The total absence of outcomes suggests institutional self-protection.
The financial burden falls entirely on ratepayers.
This isn’t how the Code of Conduct framework was meant to work. The system exists to uphold standards and ensure transparency — not to bury issues in procedure.
What should happen next
Shoalhaven’s data demands oversight beyond Nowra.
It should be formally raised with:
The Office of Local Government (OLG) — to review whether Shoalhaven’s complaint handling complies with the Model Code Procedures; and
Liza Butler MP, the local State member — to push for an independent review and reform of councillor conduct handling across NSW.
Questions OLG should answer
Does Shoalhaven’s pattern (30 complaints, 0 breaches, high costs) meet the intent of the Model Code Procedures?
Were any complaints wrongly filtered, delayed, or re-classified?
Will an independent governance or performance audit be initiated?
How you can act
If you’re a resident concerned about the waste and lack of accountability:
👉 Email the Office of Local Government to request a review of Shoalhaven’s Code of Conduct process:
Office of Local Government NSW (OLG): olg@olg.nsw.gov.au
👉 Contact Liza Butler MP to ask for parliamentary attention to this issue:
Liza Butler MP (Member for South Coast): southcoast@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Suggested message:
Subject: Shoalhaven Council – Request for Review of Code of Conduct Handling
Dear [OLG / MP],
Shoalhaven City Council reported 30 Code of Conduct complaints, 0 breaches, and $72,838 in costs for 2024–25. This ratio of high complaint volume and zero accountability suggests the system is not operating as intended. Please review the council’s handling processes and consider reforms to restore public confidence.
Sincerely,
[Your name], [Suburb]
The bottom line
Shoalhaven’s Code of Conduct system has become a paper fortress: expensive, opaque, and ineffective.
It’s not enforcing standards — it’s insulating failure.
Until the State Government intervenes, ratepayers will keep paying for cost without consequence.
“Transparency means more than publishing numbers — it means numbers that mean something.”
Shoalhaven Petition – Censure Mayor White - Accountability and Public Trust
Mayor Patricia White used her casting vote to appoint Andrew Constance as Chief Executive Officer of Shoalhaven City Council — a person she has publicly acknowledged knowing for over twenty years and whom she has previously supported in political campaigns.
She chaired the recruitment panel, declared what she described as a “non-significant conflict of interest,” and then exercised the deciding vote that gave Mr Constance the job.
Many residents see this as an apparent conflict of interest and a serious failure of judgment. Even though the Office of Local Government is conducting a separate investigation, councillors themselves have the authority to act now — to show leadership and to record, on the public record, that Shoalhaven ratepayers expect integrity in their local government.
That’s why I’ve launched a petition calling on councillors to formally censure Mayor Patricia White for her handling of this matter.
A censure motion does not remove anyone from office, but it records the Council’s disapproval of conduct that falls short of the standards of probity and impartiality required under the Local Government Act 1993 and the Model Code of Conduct.
As of today, 243 residents have signed. The petition started late on Friday 17 October 2025.
If you believe council decisions should be transparent and free from personal influence, please add your name and share the petition.
Click here to sign the petition.
https://forms.gle/huYaM4twGHgUAAKDA
As I read yet another informative article, I am reminded of the many Codes of Conducts raised during my tenure as A Councillor at Shellharbour. I see now they are many less.... I shall leave that observation to my critics. At the time we were 4 Labor Councillors and 4 Independents (one opportunist whom had defected from ALP after being supported by us) and Mayor Homer a new Councillor and untested surfie and Finance man. More often than not the Mayor used his casting vote to support the Independents and vote us down. That led naturally, to heated periods during Council meetings and in briefings, which in turn resulted in codes of conducts. I was first cab off the rank, Clr Gow (I do not wish to be cruel but suffice to say his overall participation in Council was less than exciting, he played a second to the Mayor whose ticket he had been on, they oft surfed together & judged surf Comps). I asked Clr Gow if he would switch seats with me so I could sit with my Labor Comrades, he was fine with it until Clr Marsh & the Mayor told him no and that I should be called out for bullying him. A CofC was raised and I was called to the A/CEO office along with the Governance Officer for a meeting. I had no idea what it was about until I arrived. When I was told that I had allegedly been naughty and mean, I was shocked. I was not permitted to see the allegation and nor did I have someone with me. The whole thing was a political attack. Subsequently a tit for tat came in to play and more were raised. Sadly some of these were legitimate and not so political - bullying did occur and these were swept under carpet. So I am in favour of reform of the process but I am not in favour of giving it to the Land & Environment Court where they will no doubt languish along with the many cases they currently deal with that have lengthy proceedings and many appeals.
a change is coming
https://www.olg.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/councillors-to-face-stronger-penalties-and-faster-hearings-under-proposed-laws/