Sydney councils are flouting transparency rules around the financial interests of elected officials, prompting an intervention by the State Government.
An ABC analysis has found less than a third of local governments in and around Sydney have made their register of interests easily available online as required under guidelines introduced a year ago.
The disclosures are designed to share the financial interests of elected officials and senior staff.
Geoffrey Watson, a barrister and public integrity advocate who served as counsel assisting the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) during a string of explosive political scandals, said compliance with the rules was "critically important".
"How else can a member of the public make any relevant judgment as to whether or not their local government authority is motivated by the right objectives?" he said.
Out of 32 Sydney-based councils, only nine have published their registers.
Some 14 supplied them upon request by the ABC and nine declined to supply them at all — only offering to make the documents available for inspection under a supervised visit.
| Available online | Available on request | Only available with visit |
| Blue Mountains** | Blacktown | Bayside |
| Canada Bay | Burwood | Camden |
| Georges River | Campbelltown | Canterbury-Bankstown |
| Inner West | City of Sydney | Hawkesbury |
| Lane Cove | Cumberland | Hunters Hill** |
| North Sydney | Fairfield** | Mosman |
| Parramatta** | Hornsby | Northern Beaches |
| Waverley | Ku-ring-gai | Strathfield |
| Willoughby** | Liverpool | Wollondilly |
| Penrith** | ||
| Randwick | ||
| Ryde** | ||
| Sutherland | ||
| Woollahra |
**redacted more than residential address
Romantic relationships and trips to China revealed
Some of the declarations supplied upon request included councillors working second jobs as property investors, others who went on sponsored trips to China and some who declared romantic relationships.
In Burwood, Mayor John Faker reported working for a property investment company and receiving rent from almost a dozen investment properties in Croydon Park.
Fairfield councillor Paul Azzo reported being director and shareholder in three property investment companies, although stated he was not a property developer.
Burwood councillor Heather Crichton declared her relationship with Mayor Angelo Tsirekas from the nearby City of Canada Bay.
The pair also revealed five night's sponsored accommodation in the Chinese cities of Dongtai and Nanjing in October 2018 to celebrate the "40th anniversary of China's reform", although they paid for their own airfares.
City of Sydney councillor Robert Kok also declared a sponsored trip to the Chinese cities of Hangzhou and Nanjing that same month.
While these matters are reportable, none are considered unlawful.
Redaction 'as bad as not complying'
Several councils that did provide their disclosure forms redacted details including sources of income, investment properties and other business interests.
Mr Watson said the rules are simply being "defied by authorities".
"Some of those local governments which are complying, are providing the material and then redacting the details," he said.
"What good is that? It's as bad as not complying at all.
"It's still the law in NSW that you can be a property developer and sit on a local government authority and even develop property inside that local government area.
"Unless you've got a fully transparent scheme, no external person can make a judgment about it.
"You won't even find out about it."
Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock said the number of councils not publishing their registers of interests was "concerning".
"While the Information Commissioner is responsible for enforcing the requirement to publish councillor returns of interest online, these findings, if true, are concerning," she said.
"I have requested the Office of Local Government to work with the Information Commissioner to improve council compliance with the requirement to publish councillor returns of interest online."
'Wider examination' to be conducted
Under the regulations, councils can only be excused from publishing disclosures if they can prove it would "impose unreasonable costs on the council" or there was an "overriding public interest" against releasing the details.
Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd told the ABC her office would conduct a "wider examination" to assess compliance.
"The disclosure system is probably one of the most powerful aspects of the Right to Information legislation in NSW," she said.
"It mandates the public release of specified information — information that goes to the higher order of why we have a right to access information.
"That higher order is about an accountable, transparent, fair, effective and open government."
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