The Monaro Street closure is set to last for six months. Photo: Queanbeyan City Travel and Cruise Facebook.
A chaotic council meeting has heard allegations that a “serious breach of governance” is behind a major road closure.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) launched a six-month full closure of Monaro Street in mid-March, to allow for upgrades to the road.
At a NSW Parliament hearing in March, MLC Nichole Overall pressed a Transport for NSW (TfNSW) representative about who decided to close both lanes to motorists.
Pedestrian access remains along both sides of Monaro Street.
Ms Overall said that while the project had been “in the works” for several years, it appeared to be for a single-lane closure.
“This now appears to be a unilateral decision … to make it both lanes.”
According to the questions on notice provided in response, QPRC is the consent authority – and is delivering the project – but had to get consent from TfNSW for the works.
That process was again questioned during a recent QPRC meeting, when councillor Mareeta Grundy also asked about the decision-making behind the closure.
A response from staff, included in QPRC meeting papers, states there had been a “collaborative process” behind the closure.
That decision involved TfNSW, council staff and contractor Dale and Hitchcock Civil.
“The option to fully close Monaro Street was identified during detailed construction planning, as it enables the works to be completed in approximately six months rather than 12-18 months, significantly reducing the overall duration of disruption,” the response states.
“In line with normal practice for operational project delivery, this decision did not require further council resolution.”
The response also notes councillors received three updates before the closure started.
During discussion, councillor Grundy said updates appeared to come from an external source.
“To my knowledge, there was no communication about this site or this communication – its source, its identity,” she said of emails sent to councillors.
In response, a staff member confirmed that QPRC was still overseeing the project and sending out the updates.
“The information is sent by staff in the economic development area, who write the email [and] send the email,” they told the meeting.
“The address that it’s coming from is just the tool that is used – similar to Mailchimp.”
Councillor Mark Schweikert hit out at the response staff provided, saying it hadn’t answered the question.
“That question [that was] asked was, who and why, and that hasn’t been answered. … [Transport for NSW] didn’t make the decision to do that,” he said of the closure.
“They just approved a plan of someone making a decision and submitting it to them.”
He also described the decision to push ahead with the full closure as a “serious breach of governance” and without approval from councillors.
“To change a council resolution [it has] got to come back to council to change the resolution,” he said.
“We gave legal direction that it would be staged closures. We did not authorise for a proper closure.”
Mayor Kenrick Winchester defended the decision to push ahead with the full closure.
“We can go on forever if you want a specific name … the decision was made.
“We are where we are. It’s not going to be undone, and I think it is a good decision.”
He also said he had received “nothing but support” following the decision, including from businesses.
QPRC general manager Rebecca Ryan called on councillor Schweikert to retract his comments.
“I object to an allegation made that my integrity and my decision-making have been questioned.”
She also said the approach to the project was considered as an operational matter, which was why it didn’t come back to the councillors.
“Council awarded a contract to Dale and Hitchcock … There was nothing in that resolution that said it was a staged project or [about] how it was delivered.”
Councillor Schweikert declined to withdraw the comments.
Councillor Grundy called for a point of order, describing Ms Ryan’s comments as “misleading information”.
“I clearly recollect when that resolution was passed that all councillors were under the impression (based on previous presentations, workshops and discussions during the meeting) that it was not meant to be a complete road closure.”
Mayor Winchester pushed back on her comments, saying she had spoken on the motion earlier in the meeting.
“The general manager has no reason to be making things up.”
Ultimately, councillors Grundy and Schweikert were the only councillors who voted against receiving the response.
