Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas has been ordered to apologise for breaching the Local Government Act by using his official mayoral Facebook page to promote his Liberal Party candidacy.
The Local Government Standards Panel found he violated regulations by referencing his mayoral status while campaigning for the Churchlands seat in the upcoming March election.
Zempilas, who received two complaints about the matter, argued it was a “genuine misunderstanding” and had not previously been flagged. The panel deemed the breach “minor” and instructed him to issue a public apology at a council meeting. Zempilas has 28 days to appeal the decision.
However, Zempilas raised concerns over a media leak of the decision, which he claims occurred before he had a chance to review it properly. He described the leak as suspicious and vowed to report it to the Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) for potential misconduct.
While on leave of absence from his mayoral duties during the election, Zempilas clarified that he is still officially the Lord Mayor but does not attend decision-making sessions or council meetings.
Source: ABC News.
