All of NT - Consultancy - Panel Contract for Code of Conduct Panel Member and Independent Assessor of Code of Conduct Complaints under the Local Government Act 2019 for a Period of 60 months

⁠⁠⁠Department of Housing, Local Government and Community Development requires to establish a panel contract of qualified and experienced Code of Conduct Panel Members and Independent Assessors of Code of Conduct Complaints under the Local Government Act 2019.

Code of Conduct Panel Members:

To be eligible to be appointed and Code of Conduct Panel Member, a candidate must be: 1) a legal practitioner with at least 5 years’ experience as a legal practitioner; or 2) a person with at least 5 years’ experience in governance or public administration.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Undertake the initial assessment of complaints, notices, and information about councillor conduct referred under the Act.
• Investigate allegations of misconduct by councillors.
• Use discretion to dismiss, take no further action, or investigate depending on statutory criteria and public interest considerations.
• Ensure that more serious matters can proceed to formal adjudication.
• Review decisions of Independent Assessors and councils related to CoC complaints.
• Deal with councillors’ non-compliance with an imposed sanction.
• Exercise all powers independently; the CoC Panel Member is not subject to direction by another person when exercising statutory powers.

Independent Assessor of Code of Conduct Complaints

To be eligible to be appointed and an Independent Assessor a candidate must be: 1) a legal practitioner with at least 5 years’ experience as a legal practitioner; or 2) a person with at least 5 years’ experience in governance or public administration.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Undertake the initial assessment of complaints, notices, and information about councillor conduct referred under the Act.
• Investigate allegations of misconduct by councillors.
• Use discretion to dismiss, take no further action, or investigate depending on statutory criteria and public interest considerations.
• Ensure that more serious matters can proceed to formal adjudication.
• Refer matters for hearing by the Code of Conduct Panel where a conduct breach is assessed to warrant that step.
• Identify and manage complaints that are vexatious or frivolous including through policy processes to declare a complainant as vexatious / frivolous.
• Meet reporting obligations under the Act, including mandatory reporting on investigations and decisions / outcomes to support transparency.
• Exercise all powers independently; the Independent Assessor is not subject to direction by another person when exercising statutory powers.