By Alesha Capone
Wyndham councillors who fail to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination to the mayor and council chief executive by close of business on Thursday, December 2, will be encouraged to take a leave of absence.
The leave of absence period will last until the local government minister provides the council with advice on why mandatory vaccine requirements requiring state parliamentarians to be vaccinated, or face suspension from their roles, have not been extended to Victorian councillors.
The council last night held a special meeting during which it passed a motion which also stated that the council would write to Local Government Minister Shaun Leane seeking guidance on the issue.
The special meeting was called at the request of at the request of councillors Josh Gilligan, Heather Marcus and Mia Shaw.
The motion passed by the councillors last night, in relation to their COVID-19 vaccination status, was an amendment to an original suggestion put forward for the meeting, which asked chief executive Stephen Wall to obtain confirmation of the vaccination status of all Wyndham councillors by 11.59pm on Wednesday, December 1.
The original motion also recommended Mr Wall write to Mr Leane, “to inform him of any councillor/s who are not double vaccinated by the above deadline and request that he uses powers afforded to him under Section 228 of the Local Government Act 2020 in relation to standing down a councillor who is not double vaccinated”.
All Wyndham councillors attended the special meeting in-person at the Werribee Civic Centre yesterday evening, with the exception of councillor Marcel Mahfoud, who attended the meeting virtually.
Speaking at the meeting, Cr Mia Shaw said she was pleased to see more than 95 per cent of Wyndham residents were on track to be double-vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Cr Shaw said that earlier this year, all councillors voted for a COVID-19 vaccination hub to be established at Eagle Stadium.
“It would be hypocritical now for Wyndham city council, and all councillors here tonight, to not take a stand requiring councillors who were elected by this community to be double vaccinated too,” she said.
“If there is any issue that should be able to unite this council, this should be it.”
Cr Shaw said all council employees were required to be double vaccinated.
Cr Heather Marcus said that COVID has had a significant impact on Wyndham.
“I believe all councillors, as leaders of this city, really should be all fully vaccinated,” she said.
Cr Jennie Barrera said the position of the state government and health authorities on the requirement for people to be vaccinated was “unequivocal”.
“I think it’s widely accepted now, across the community, that vaccines remain the foundation, the bulwark of protection against the severe effects of COVID-19,” she said.
“I think as leaders in this community, councillors should step up, put the community first, above individual interests.”
