More scrutiny needed for Bronte House

By RYAN QUINN
Waverly Greens Councillor Dominc Wy Kanak has sought to reveal confidential documents relating to the tenancy of a large council owned property in Bronte.

‘Bronte House’ is owned by Waverley Council and is rented out every three to five years to tenants who must allow the house to be open to the public six times a year and carry out upkeep on the property.

Clr Wy Kanak raised concerns at a council meeting on Tuesday September 15 about secrecy surrounding the tenancy of the NSW heritage listed property.

“There is a high level of public interest in council’s management of Bronte House as an important NSW heritage listed property, so the Tenancy choosing procedures should come under detailed scrutiny to ensure a concomitant level of public accountability,” he said.

However, Clr Wy Kanak’s motion to reveal the first seven pages of the confidential documents came under opposition from other councillors, including Liberal Councillor Andrew Cusack.

“It comes as absolutely no surprise to me that Dominic Wy Kanak would love everything to be in public, but sometimes there is stuff that is confidential, that relates to individuals, to tenders, or there is stuff in there that is not appropriate,” Clr Cusack told City Hub.

“There was financial information, there was information about applicants, about individuals and information that should not be public because it would then breach the confidentiality of the individuals and council’s financial situation,” he said.

Clr Wy Kanak said that he brought the amendment because he felt that the first seven pages of the documents do not reveal any confidential information.

“It mentioned procedural stuff and it also just mentioned a bit of general history that is already on the public record, or could be publicly found and accessed by normal freedom of information processes,” Clr Wy Kanak said.

“Given that there have been legislative amendments to the Local Government Act seeking councils to be more open and transparent, council could operate with a lot more rigor when they compile a report to separate the confidential and the non-confidential parts, and I don’t that rigor was applied,” he said.

Clr Cusack said that the bid to reveal the documents was a “rogue motion,” and that councillors do not have power to make or overturn confidential documents, only council officers and directors.

“To accept that, in my humble opinion, would have been unlawful or at very best out of order, because it’s not the councillors that determine that it’s confidential,” he said.

Clr Wy Kanak said he didn’t think the debate is over, despite his amendment being struck down in council due to the Freedom of Information process.

On September 1, Waverly Council chose Wes and Anna van der Gardner and family as the private tenants for the council-owned property for a five year lease.