By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A Greater Dandenong councillor has been sensationally ruled ineligible from standing in October’s council election.
Peter Brown has launched an 11th hour bid in the Supreme Court of Victoria to stand as a candidate before election nominations close at noon today (22 September).
According to Cr Brown, his nomination was rejected by the Victorian Electoral Commission on 21 September due to being deleted from the electoral roll as part of a bureaucratic bungle.
He argues he is eligible due to owning property in Noble Park – just as he was deemed eligible for re-election by countback in January 2019.
On 10 September, the City of Greater Dandenong received an email from the VEC requesting confirmation of Cr Brown’s bona fides.
But due to “bureaucratic inaction”, Mr Brown was not told of the audit.
“At no stage was I contacted by the (council) Manager … and my enrolment was deleted because of a failure to show cause why I should remain on the roll.
“Something is seriously wrong when a sitting councillor has his entitlement to be a councillor removed by bureaucratic inaction.
“Nor is it remotely tolerable that that person was not informed of the proposed action when legitimately enrolled and moreover is then denied an opportunity to nominate for a general election based on that removal.”
The deletion meant that Cr Brown would be removed as councillor within 50 days and ineligible to contest the election, he said.
Cr Brown is seeking a Supreme Court order that his deletion was unlawful and that his election nomination should be accepted.
“I am also seeking costs, which are substantial.”
