A complaint against Wyndham councillor Intaj Khan over an online stoush has been thrown out by the council.
A Facebook exchange erupted in March after criticism of Cr Khan’s plans to build a $9.5 million mansion in Tarneit.
The debate spanned several hours and involved a number of users, and one of Cr Khan’s critics was called a “faceless, racist pussy”.
Cr Khan has since apologised through an article in the Star Weekly, saying it was not him who made the comments but his social media administrator, who no longer works for him.
Council chief executive Kelly Grigsby said the investigation into comments made from Cr Khan’s account had been concluded and no further action would be taken.
“There’s uncertainty as to whether the councillor conduct principles and the councillor code of conduct were breached,” she said.
“This outcome is based on independent legal advice and clarification from the Local Government Compliance and Investigations Inspectorate.
“Ultimately, this finding was based on …the comments were not made by Cr Khan in his capacity as a councillor, and his personal Facebook page was not facilitated by or directly connected to council.”
Disappointed and frustrated
The complainant, resident Michael Young, who engaged in the online conversation, said he was disappointed and frustrated by the result.
“Regardless of whether the comments were written by Cr Khan or someone else, he should be held fully accountable for what he did,” he said. “I don’t think he should be using a social media administrator as a scapegoat.
“He became a public figure the moment he became a councillor. He needs to be fully accountable for what is being said.”
Cr Khan welcomed the fact that the complaint was not upheld.
“I personally believe the complaint had no substance in the first place,” he said.
“I have a lot of respect for Michael Young and believe we should be working as a community to spread harmony.”
