Council candidate fined

 A Greater Dandenong Council candidate was convicted for failing to disclose campaign funding.
Dandenong Magistrate Julie O’Donnell fined Ha Dang Quach $800 and ordered him to pay $1750 in court costs on Thursday 5 April.
The Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate initiated the prosecution action.
Mr Quach pleaded guilty to the charge of failing to give an election campaign donation return (CDR) to Greater Dandenong Council CEO John Bennie within 40 days after the 2016 election day.
Ms O’Donnell said that a conviction was appropriate given the seriousness of the offence and the considerable maximum penalty that applied.
She took into account Mr Quach’s prior convictions and said that despite a defence submission that his failure to submit the return was an oversight, Mr Quach’s failure would be more accurately considered a “significant oversight”.