By MELISSA CUNNINGHAM
THE Dandenong Benevolent Society is demanding a formal verbal apology from Greater Dandenong councillors over now-disproved claims it had misused funding.
At a Greater Dandenong Council meeting last November, Cr Maria Sampey queried the welfare service’s purchase of a $33,000 holiday cabin at Bella Vista Holiday Park in Rosebud West in the 2009-10 financial year .
The cabin was bought to give their clients a cheap holiday venue. It is rented out at $50 a week to clients who can afford it or free to those who cannot.
An audit and review of the organisation’s finances – which includes $33,000 of council funding a year – was held by an auditory advisory committee after Cr Sampey’s call for an inquiry, backed by Cr Peter Brown.
The audit revealed there was no untoward use of finances.
Staff at the society have fiercely denied the alleged misuse of funds and say their reputation has been tarnished by the accusation.
At a meeting last Monday, Cr Angela Long requested that councillors Sampey and Brown verbally apologise to society representatives sitting in the council chambers.
Cr Sampey did not respond to Cr Long’s request. Cr Brown said he was pleased with the outcome of the audit but did not apologise.
“The end result shows that all the accounting standards were satisfied. I did express my concerns about the finances but the audit has satisfied those doubts.”
Cr Brown then criticised the $30,000-plus the organisation had spent on “demountables” and called for it to handle its funding more effectively.
“I believe the society could meet their charter goals better rather than carrying forward a significant amount of cash,” he said.
Society representatives raised their voices to respond to Cr Brown but were silenced by mayor Youhorn Chea.
Society treasurer Geoff Ladner said he was extremely disappointed the council had refused to apologise.
“Councillors are very quick to make statements on unfounded information to get their names out into the public arena. But they are loath to answer when found to be wrong and find sorry a very hard word to say.”
