Two municipal monitors have been appointed to Kingston City Council for the rest of the year, the local government minister has announced.
“Victorians expect their councils to maintain a high standard of processes and practices, and these monitors will help the council best serve the Kingston community,” Minister for Local Government Nick Staikos said.
Mr Staikos – whose Bentleigh electorate is in the LGA, located in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne – has announced that John Tanner will serve as one of the monitors, with a second to be appointed at a later date. “Mr Tanner has extensive experience working with local government, and I’m confident he will provide good governance and support for council’s decision-making procedures,” Mr Staikos said.
Mr Tanner has previously served as chairman of the panel of administrators appointed to the Moira Shire Council and currently acts as a monitor at Hobsons Bay City Council.
The monitors – in place from 25 August 2025 until 31 December 2025 – will advise, assist, and support the council “to improve its governance processes and practices”, according to a statement.
They will also work with the council to support good governance including “in relation to service delivery, the health and wellbeing of councillors and staff, and council meeting procedures and decision making”.
Councillors, the executive team and staff “are keen to assist however we can to support them in the role”, Kingston Council CEO Peter Bean said in a statement. “Council remains committed to delivering excellent services to our community, built on a foundation of good governance and strong customer service,” he added.
We look forward to better understanding the Victorian Government’s concerns.
Meanwhile, in the same statement, Kingston Mayor Cr Georgina Oxley suggested that the intervention was unexpected. “We look forward to better understanding the Victorian Government’s concerns and working closely with the monitors to share our strong processes, governance oversight and transparent decision-making,” she said.
The Victorian Government has introduced several reforms to the Local Government Act 2020 to strengthen governance and integrity standards across Victoria’s 79 councils. Among the reforms, mandatory training for elected representatives, a uniform councillor code of conduct, and strengthened powers to address councillor conduct.
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