Christine Couzens, the Labor member for Geelong, has called on the government to consider appointing administrators to run the City of Greater Geelong due to serious governance concerns. 

Couzens says she has had “frank discussions” with Local Government Minister Melissa Horne regarding the city, which has been led by an acting chief executive and is being investigated by the Local Government Inspectorate. 

The council has announced redundancies and an organisational restructure, and internal documents have revealed the dire financial situation of the city, which has led to instructions to defer or stop all expenditures wherever possible. 

Couzens says she has expressed shock and disappointment at the sacking of an undisclosed number of workers, particularly from the city's Community Life directorate, which provides services to groups such as the aged, multicultural, refugees, and those facing social equity issues. She says this is “really concerning”, given the areas that have been cut. 

Council insiders, both current and former staff, have also expressed their concerns about the restructure and redundancies, including morale within the organisation being at its worst since the city was placed under administration in 2016. 

The acting chief executive, Kaarina Phyland, has acknowledged that the changes have been made with the aim of ensuring the city continues to be financially sustainable, become more efficient and effective, and further improve how it serves the community.