City of Stirling councillor’s privileges restored following bullying saga

STIRLING councillor Elizabeth Re has had her privileges reinstated after being barred from City functions eight months ago.

Councillors voted to restore her full position in the council at Tuesday night’s meeting after stripping her of official duties last May.

Then Mayor Giovanni Italiano moved the original motion, which excluded Cr Re from City functions and cancelled her electronic security pass to enter the council building.

It followed a WorkSafe improvement notice issued to the City in April that revealed employees had been exposed to “bullying behaviours” from a councillor, which the City’s lawyer said referred to Cr Re.

Councillors went behind closed doors to discuss the item at length and Mayor Mark Irwin today released a statement that said all councillors, including Cr Re, had attended training sessions to improve communication and professional conduct in the past six months.

“Councillor Re has the support of the council and we will continue to work together to focus on our agreed values and good governance of the City of Stirling for the benefit of the community,” he said.

Cr Re told Community News in December that the accusations had stained her name and described the sanctions as “unjustified and unreasonable”.

WorkSafe Commissioner Lex McCulloch previously said the notice was not intended to point to any specific councillor.