COUNCILLOR CAR TRASHED WHILE IN CHAMBERS

EXCLUSIVE: Intruders last night trashed a Gingin councillor’s vehicle while he successfully moved to defer a controversial social media policy restricting criticism of council by elected members.
Cr Lincoln Stewart told StreetWise today he returned home to find trespassers had damaged one of his wildlife emergency vehicles on his property at Moore River Ranch & Wildlife Sanctuary in Red Gully.
Cr Stewart will report the incident to WA Police and follows two similar incidents in March and April this year. One of two guard dogs also was poisoned and his front gates rammed by a truck, causing $28,000 damage, soon after he was elected in 2023. Haters also dumped rubbish outside his property, 52km north of Gingin.
“This is the third time in a row while I’ve been at council chambers,” he said while at the mechanics in Ellenbrook today to gauge the extent of damage to the $80,000 wildlife ambulance.
“A month ago, they ripped out all the wiring harness in another vehicle, slashed the radiator hose, pulled out the power steering, plugs, oil dipstick and left everything on the ground.
“It’s the same thing every month. This time, they also removed the dipstick and power steering and radiator caps. It wasn’t until I drove to Perth this morning that oil started spraying out everywhere.
“The oil got into the electrical system and then the car started to shake violently. I now have to have all the electrics pulled out and cleaned.
“I could have had a serious accident. I won’t be leaving my keys in the car anymore. I leave the keys in the car in case there is a fire and someone needs to use it in an emergency.”
Cr Stewart said he installed multiple cameras on his farm and in his house after his dog was poisoned and front gate rammed: “They seem to know where my cameras are. Each camera costs $1000 to run because on a big farm each camera has to run on its own phone and sim system to get enough data to trigger the alarms.”
Oblivious to the damage taking place at his property, Cr Stewart successfully moved for the social media item to be deferred. StreetWise understands from ratepayers at the meeting that council was rattled by its article, particularly the reference to a State Administrative Tribunal decision covering elected members’ rights to criticise council decisions (‘Gingin shire considers risky social media policy’).
StreetWise yesterday reported that the item followed two motions presented to the annual electors meeting in February by Bendigo board members Wendy Harris and Stephen Beckwith, who was at council last night.
On Monday, Mr Beckwith sent a ratepayer who spoke at council a ‘cease and desist’ notice after she commented online about the agenda item.
A second cease and desist was sent to the same ratepayer by Cr Craig Hyne’s brother Vernon, whose father-in-law Mal Harrington is a Bendigo bank director. Cr Hyne’s daughter also works at the community bank. Shire president Linda Balcombe is Bendigo board’s executive officer.
The ratepayer who did not want to be named after she learnt about the incident at Cr Stewart’s farm told StreetWise she also received abusive text messages from former shire president Wayne Fewster’s second cousin Vanessa. Mr Fewster, whose wife works at the shire, also attended council last night and acting CEO James Bayliss is his son-in-law (CEO Scott Wildgoose has been suspended).
“The messages basically state I have no respect for the council. Just name calling, stuff like that. I do feel worried. If you’re on social media, they will trash you. It’s no wonder people give up.”
Other Gingin residents who contacted StreetWise today said they had been abused verbally and their properties damaged but were reluctant to speak publicly.

Nothing to see here?

STATE Government-appointed inspector Tony Brown is yet to act on ratepayers’ complaints about Gingin shire where he previously worked as deputy CEO.
Residents who have complained to the local government overseer raised questions over why their concerns had fallen on deaf ears since they first contacted StreetWise.
Now they say they possibly know why. Mr Brown was deputy CEO at Gingin from October 2004 to October 2005, after which he worked at East Fremantle council as executive manager of finance and administration. Until his appointment as inspector last year, Mr Brown was governance manager at the WA Local Government Association.
Mr Brown visited the shire on February 17 after which he received complaints about council staff and members’ links to Bendigo Bank (‘Our bank, our thing in Gingin’, March 22); the suspension of CEO Scott Wildgoose (‘Gingin shire chaos: local government in denial’, March 3); and undisclosed financial interests and doctored minutes (‘Shire fudges minutes to avoid council conflict’, May 7).
Residents who  complained to Mr Brown told StreetWise they were unaware the government inspector previously worked at the shire nor had he disclosed it.
Several of the people at the centre of the complaints include former shire staff Mr Brown previously worked with including Mr Fewster and former councillors David Roe and Michael Aspinall.
The revelation puts paid to Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley’s ‘warning’ that poor behaviour by WA councils is no longer tolerated. She told 6PR Mornings host Simon Beaumont that greater scrutiny and stronger new powers have led to increased transparency and accountability in the sector. Not at Gingin.
StreetWise contacted Ms Beazley on April 24 and asked: “You’re the minister for local government, correct? Why are you turning a blind eye on one of the most dysfunctional councils in WA?”
On May 15, StreetWise today sent Mr Brown and Ms Beazley questions over why he had not acted on residents’ complaints:
1. Have you acted on or intend to act on those complaints?
2. Are you concerned about the lack of disclosure by sitting councillors over matters related to Bendigo Bank? Were you involved in setting up the shire’s association with Bendigo Bank when you were at Gingin?
3. Are you aware of the manipulation/doctoring of council minutes recently highlighted by StreetWise Media?
4. Are you aware a breach against shire president Linda Balcombe in which she was found guilty has yet to be published by the CEO on the shire’s breach register?
Additional reports www.streetwisemedia.com.au.