Accusations of bullying have surfaced on day 10 of the public inquiry into Wingecarribee Shire Council.
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Former acting general manager Barry Paull has revealed that Wingecarribee Shire Council wasn't a safe workplace for senior management.
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Mr Paull detailed allegations of bullying by councillors toward council staff.
"In terms of senior staff, it was a constant attack," he said.
"There were multiple meetings where accusations were made against staff about whether the information was accurate, whether staff were hiding things, whether staff were competent.
"It was relentless.
"For the senior management team, it wasn't a safe workplace... I tried to protect the staff as best I could from those sorts of attacks."
He said the bullying behaviour in the 2016-2020 term had been carried over from the 2012 -2016 terms.
"There was a lot of aggressive behaviour to staff in information sessions," he said.
"It also spilled over into some of the council meetings and committee meetings.
"There were times the general manager had to tell councillors that enough was enough or she would have to remove the staff."
Mr Paull said his first meeting with then-mayor Ken Halstead in 2016 was "confronting".
"The mayor said he didn't trust any of the staff, and he didn't trust the three people who were standing in front of him," he said.
"He questioned our competence .That was confronting.
"It was day one."
Mr Paull said the bullying over the two terms had affected his predecessor Ann Prendergast.
"By the time she left this organisation, her mental health had been destroyed," he said.
"It seriously affected her health
"In terms of my mental health, it was very challenging."
In his submission to Commissioner Ross Glover, Mr Paull said there were personal attacks in briefing sessions and meetings.
"My personal opinion was that they were making it personal about the attacks on staff rather than staying professional," he said.
"There were personal attacks on other councillors as well.
"The briefing sessions were there to conduct the business of the council, not try and score points against other councillors, not to try and catch the staff out, not to try and beat the staff up.
"In my mind, they were not conducting themselves in a way that was appropriate for councillors."
In his concluding remarks, Mr Paull said if there wasn't any trust between the senior management team, the mayor and the council then the organisation would be "dysfunctional"
"I've had the pleasure of working here in the two councils where that trust was in place, and there was a good working relationship," he said.
"I enjoyed working with the 2000 and 2004 council.
"It got a lot tougher after that."
The public inquiry will continue until April 14.
All transcripts and a list of speakers can be found on the Office of Local Government website.
Anyone who wishes to watch past proceedings can do so via the Wingecarribee Shire Council YouTube channel.
Residents who wish to view the live proceedings may do so by watching the live stream on the Office of Local Government website from 10 am onwards on Monday April, 11.