A public spat between Whittlesea councillor (and President of the Municipal Association of Victoria) Mary Lalios and the council’s CEO – and former Victorian Police Commissioner – Simon Overland has been making the news this week, with the independent investigator ruling in favour of the latter, regarding bullying accusations.
Cr Lalios had made a bullying complaint against Mr Overland earlier this year, after he had raised issues of potential “workplace bullying,” regarding her questioning of a staff member.
Cr Lalios also accused the Council’s CEO of breaching her privacy, by copying in other councillors to an email which contained his allegations against her.
According to the Star Weekly, Cr Lalios is seeking legal advice after her colleagues publicly released a report containing her confidential medical information, including advice from her psychologist and the name of her GP, as part of a probity auditor’s report.
Although Cr Lalios has not made a complaint against Mr Overland under the Local Government Act, she has submitted a WorkCover claim, which has been accepted. She has been on leave from the council since April.
An independent investigation dismissed the complaint, noting that Cr Lalios had failed to be interviewed.
Neos Kosmos tried to contact Cr Lalios for comment, but did not receive a reply.