Time to come clean

AS former US Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld once said, there are known knowns and known unknowns.
There are also unknown unknowns – “things we do not know we don’t know”.
At the moment, there are a great many unknowns over the independent investigation of Greater Dandenong councillors Peter Brown and Maria Sampey over alleged “inappropriate” treatment of council staff which allegedly caused the staff to feel “hurt and distressed”.
Questions were asked by the Journal such as how much the investigation cost, why it was launched in secret from other councillors and the public, and whether mayor Angela Long breached her own insistence on confidentiality.
These “known knowns” were left unanswered by the mayor and the council, claiming they were bound by “confidentiality”.
The Journal spoke with several councillors outside the fray. These councillors expressed caution, citing the need to protect council staff’s privacy.
Some of them said they’d first see the report’s findings, before deciding whether they need to see the full report.
Yet it’s the possibility of “unknown unknowns” that are most troubling – the facts that may be hidden from view if the full report is denied.
On one count, the accused councillors rightfully claim a denial of natural justice if they are not given the entire story.
On the face of it, it would be inappropriate that an inquiry into the conduct of publicly-elected representatives and funded by the public purse should be hidden from public eyes – secretly launched and partially reported.
This is why the Journal urges the council to exercise the highest possible standard of public disclosure.