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Councillor urges suspension of colleague, cites repeated code-of-conduct breaches
Summary
At the Shire of Esperance ordinary council meeting, Councillor Stasvich read a detailed statement alleging repeated code‑of‑conduct breaches by Councillor Johnson and asked that Johnson be suspended pending investigation; the presiding member said the statutory complaints process remains the mechanism for such matters.
Councillor Stasvich publicly accused fellow councillor Councillor Johnson of repeated breaches of the Shire’s code of conduct and asked that she be suspended from office while the department and minister investigate.
"Following last week's special council meeting, I personally witnessed a disturbing incident of intimidation and bullying," Stasvich said, and listed prior findings by the standards panel and the behavioural complaints committee as evidence of a pattern of misconduct. Stasvich requested that the statement be entered into the minutes and referred under the council’s code of conduct and governance procedures.
The presiding member responded by outlining the statutory complaints pathway available through the department and the standards framework and urged the council to continue focusing on its elected duties while those processes proceed. The presiding member noted that the council’s procedures allow people to lodge complaints and that the complaints process will determine next steps.
The statement identified several earlier panel findings (December 2024 and January 2025) and a behavioural complaints committee determination; Stasvich characterized these as evidence of a consistent pattern and asked for immediate suspension or standing down of Councillor Johnson to preserve the council’s working environment. No formal motion to suspend was moved in open session; the presiding member instead recorded the availability of the statutory complaints mechanisms.
The council did not take an immediate formal suspension in open session. The meeting record shows the request was made publicly and the chair confirmed the complaints and standards processes as the appropriate route for any formal disciplinary action. The council later accepted a confidential late item and went behind closed doors on related matters; the public summary of closed decisions did not record a suspension of an elected member.
