Frankston City Council Mayor Kris Bolam will attend a Canberra delegation later this month alongside Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor Anthony Marsh — but unlike his neighbour, he removed himself from the vote approving his own travel.
The trip, set for 25–26 August, will involve Frankston City Council, Mornington Peninsula Shire and the Committee for Frankston and Mornington Peninsula (C4FMP). The group will meet with senior ministers and shadow ministers to discuss housing, homelessness, infrastructure, health, and environmental issues.
Questions Over Marsh’s Decision
While Bolam removed himself from the vote to avoid any perception of bias, Mayor Marsh chose to debate and vote on his own travel approval — directly participating in a decision that benefits him.
The Local Government Act 2020 contains strict conflict of interest provisions, including those relating to “direct interests” where a councillor stands to gain financially or otherwise from a decision. Whether Marsh’s actions meet the legal threshold is for the Local Government Inspectorate to determine, but the optics are politically sensitive.
Transparency advocates say avoiding even the appearance of a conflict is key to maintaining public trust. By voting on his own travel, Marsh has drawn attention not just to the Canberra trip but to how Mornington Peninsula Shire manages integrity and governance.
STPL News has also received multiple unconfirmed reports that Mayor Marsh phoned a number of Frankston councillors to nominate Bolam to attend the Canberra trip, despite Bolam’s initial reluctance.
Partnership Split
Mayor Bolam also confirmed with STPL News that the Mornington Peninsula Shire has withdrawn from the partnership with Frankston and Kingston councils that was announced in may this year.
“The mayor has communicated that he does not wish the Mornington Peninsula Shire to engage in a formalised partnership arrangement with Frankston City and the City of Kingston,” Cr Bolam said.
“It’s more than a little baffling but we (myself and Georgina Oxley) trust he’s representing the majority view of his councillor group so we’ll respect their will.”
Frankston and Kingston will now move to formalise a new two-council partnership agreement in October.
Read: Frankston, Kingston and Mornington Peninsula Councils Eye Cross-Border Collaboration
Why Bolam Abstained
Bolam abstained from Monday night’s vote on the Canberra trip, saying it was important to maintain impartiality when the decision involved his own travel.
“I believe the city council should maintain an appropriate and professional distance from special interest groups to ensure impartial decision-making,” he said.
This stands in contrast to Mayor Marsh, who participated in and voted on his own travel approval — a move that prompted questions about potential conflict of interest.
Read: Mayor Votes on Own Travel Approval – Conflict of Interest Rules Examined
Despite his initial reservations, Bolam said he will attend the trip “albeit reluctantly” in his capacity as mayor, acknowledging the role of Dunkley MP Jodie Belyea in securing meetings with federal leaders.
This is the same guy who lead the charge to cancel climate change, the arts, and other good stuff. also led the charge to vote down a motion for public consultation on non resident paid parking that previous council promised and which was presented by a councillor against non resident paid parking. Bases his decisions on pulse surveys not public consultation. And blocks motions he does not like or that do not fall in line with his world view.
Marsh comes across as thoroughly unlikeable. Haven’t seen him do anything useful for MP residents.