Heritage campaigner Andrew Woodhouse has accused Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP of corruption over the demolition of Rory Mile’s cottage.
The State Local Government Department (SLGD) told Mr Woodhouse he has grounds to refer the Lord Mayor to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) after she dismissed a motion regarding the demolition at a council meeting.
“Councillor Harris’ motion was the very last item on the (council) agenda,” Mr Woodhouse said.
“When the time arrived for its consideration, it was pushed aside and considered redundant by the chairperson, Clover Moore.
“No reasons were given apart from her dismissive comment, ‘We’ve dealt with this.'”
Mr Woodhouse, president of the Potts Point and Kings Cross Heritage Conservation Society, accused Ms Moore of bending procedural rules to ensure demolition of the kiosk and caretaker’s cottage at Rushcutters Bay Tennis Courts.
In a letter to Mr Woodhouse from the SLGD, chief executive Ross Woodward wrote that as chairperson, Ms Moore did not have the legal power to dismiss Mr Harris’ motion.
Under Local Government Regulation (2005) it is the chairperson’s duty to put to council any lawful motion brought before the council.
“There does not appear to be any question about the lawfulness of the motion that would justify the chairperson ruling the motion out of order. There is also nothing in the minutes to indicate that the chairperson made such a ruling,” Mr Woodward wrote in his letter.
Mr Woodward wrote as the chairperson, Ms Moore should have put the motion to be formally disposed by the council during the meeting as the council had previously discussed it.
Mr Woodhouse claimed Ms Moore exercised inappropriate powers to reaffirm the council’s earlier decision to demolish the cottage.
“All motions must be considered as matter of public procedure we say, even if, as in this case, some of the motion or the same issue was partly considered elsewhere in the meeting,” he said.
He added that deleting agenda items was like “moving the goal posts as play progresses”.
Mr Woodhouse said Rory Mile’s cottage might still be standing if Mr Harris’ motion had been properly considered.
The site was home to former courts manager and coach Rory Miles and his partner Yoon Kim.
It was bulldozed in December last year amid widespread community protests.
Protestors had to be removed from the site by police, and more than 50 bouquets of flowers were left on the site.
Residents picket the caretaker’s cottage before the demolition
