The Minister for Local Government, Ron Hoenig, has threatened to suspend all of Moree Plains Shire Council (MPSC) for three months, but neither he nor the Office of Local Government (OLG) will say why they did not take action to keep councillors and staff safe.
The Minister wrote to the council on Thursday, 22 October, saying he is considering suspending the governing body and appointing an interim administrator.
The Minister’s concerns include the conduct of council meetings, the repeated involvement of NSW Police in managing disorder, and a decline in working relationships between councillors. A spokesperson for OLG said no final decision has been made and the council has until Friday, 6 November to respond.
“There’s a process underway,” said Mayor Susannah Pearse.
“It will be up to the council to consider and endorse council’s official submission, so I’m not going to get into politics, but there has been disorder in the chamber, absolutely, and it has been concerning for the community.”
“It has been equally concerning for councillors and staff, and we do need a meaningful way of moving forward in a productive fashion that will take agreement from all councillors.”
“I’m hoping that Monday provides an opportunity for all councillors to come together and to agree on a path forward that sees us addressing the minister’s concerns and ensuring that we can continue to serve the community,” she said.
The unexpected threat of administration lands on a well performing council with a long list of achievements this term. After being re-elected as mayor last month, Mayor Pearse listed some of them.
“We have had some big things happen over the past two years,” she said.
“The hot pools are back open, the Moree Memorial Hall is back in use, we have signed off on the Special Activation Precinct Deed, and we are continuing to bring Council’s debt down.”
The financial achievements are particularly impressive: Council has cut its deficit from a historic high of $54 million to $36 million in 2026/27. Borrowings are at their lowest level in 14 years, and no new loans are being sought. A proposed $6 million loan for the new pool is no longer needed.
Insiders say that they are also very close to announcing a new General Manager to replace Natalia Cowley who was lured back to Cessnock, where her family lives, a couple of months ago.
Just five weeks ago, Minister Hoenig congratulated Mayor Pearse and Deputy Mayor Wayne Tighe on their re-election in a post on the council’s Facebook page.
“Civic leadership is never easy, and in your case particularly challenging,” he wrote.
“I’m grateful that you continue to serve and lead your communities.”
Given this impressive backdrop, the threat to suspend all of Moree Plains Shire Council came as a shock to both most councillors, staff, and onlookers alike.
Multiple sources have confirmed that earlier in the week, OLG sent correspondence to Council about disorder in the chamber which appeared to signal action against one councillor, Cr Kelly James, who has been previously censured three times. Questions are being asked about what happened between Monday and Thursday to change the position.
The Minister’s office did not respond to questions about what changed in five weeks since his endorsement of MPSC leadership on social media, or what happened between Monday and Thursday last week to alter the proposed action.
Member for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan’s office said the Minister spoke to him before question time on Tuesday about what was happening among Moree councillors. The Minister then rang him on Thursday evening to say the council would receive a letter and that he had watched the last two council meetings. Mr Moylan’s office said there has been no formal meeting between the pair.
It is unclear which two meetings Minister Hoenig may have watched. The September meeting of council, during which Cr James was absent, was a model of decorum and effective working, with a substantial amount of business attended to. It was a stark contrast to the October and August meetings, where Cr James was intentionally disorderly to try to manufacture being removed by police, which she stated in her August livestream was for the purpose of generating publicity.
At the council meeting on Thursday, 15 October, Cr James was expelled from the meeting for disorder but refused to leave, as she had in the August meeting, and filmed a live stream video inside council chambers, making a series of direct threats of violence against people doing their job.
“I’m telling you now, bud. If you touch me, you’ll be hurt,” she said.
“He’s going to get a kick in the jaw too.”
“I’m telling you, bud, for your own safety, do not touch me. I’m not joking.”
“No, I’m telling you, bud. If you touch me, be the last thing you do,” she said.
“I’m not joking. Don’t touch me. I mean it.”
This time she got the vision she wanted, with NSW Police being called and escorting her out of the building.
Neither the Minister’s office nor OLG answered questions about their responsibility for the safety of staff and councillors, or why they had failed to act to deny Cr James the opportunity to make violent threats in the chamber on October 15. Code of conduct complaints about Cr James were referred to OLG as far back as May, as is the proper procedure when a council has exhausted its disciplinary options, but so far OLG have failed to finalise any of those matters. Both OLG and the Minister were aware of rising hostilities and fears of increasing safety concerns at meetings, and in receipt of requests for assistance, but failed to act. Only they can suspend a councillor; Council does not have any power to do so.
Neither the Minister’s office, OLG, nor Council responded to questions about whether the apparent threats of violence, injury, or death were referred to NSW Police. NSW Police has been asked for comment.
“Council will also not be commenting on matters relating to the external recording (livestream) undertaken by Cr Kelly James,” a Moree Plains Shire Council spokesperson said.
In a heated phone call to New England Times in an apparent attempt to prevent the publication of this story, an OLG officer repeatedly said it was not correct that the OLG had done nothing and rejected the assertion they bore any responsibility for keeping council staff safe. The officer refused to say what OLG had done to assist the council or to ensure the safety of staff and councillors, and denied that there had been correspondence earlier in the week. Copies of the two letters, confirmed by three other sources, has been requested under GIPA (NSW freedom of information).
“We have nothing further to add,” the OLG spokesperson said when given the opportunity to revise their statement.
The Minister’s office did not reply to emailed questions.
An extraordinary council meeting will be held at 12pm on Monday, 2 November to consider and endorse the council’s formal response to the Minister, which is expected to strongly argue against suspension.
Mayor Pearse said the community’s interests come first.
“The community is best served by an elected body,” she said.
“It’s not best served by administration.”
Questions put to Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig
1. Can you please advise how many times the Minister met with or spoke to Member for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan about this issue last week?
2. Five weeks ago the Minister posted to Facebook on the Moree Plains Shire Council page
“Ron Hoenig MP
Congratulations to you both on your re-election. Civic leadership is never easy, and in your case particularly challenging. I’m grateful that you continue to serve and lead your communities. Wishing you both well for the term ahead.”
a) Why has the minister altered from his previously publicly stated position of supporting the leadership of MPSC?
b) Given this clear acknowledgement that the Minister was well briefed on the issues at MPSC, why did the Minister not act to direct OLG to suspend Cr Kelly James, or take any other action to prevent her further assaults, prior to the October 15 meeting?
3. The Minister was made directly aware by this masthead’s reporting and questions that it was Cr James clear intent to force police to be called to remove her from the meeting for the purposes of creating social media content. Prior to October 15 she was unsuccessful.
a) Your letter to council refers to “repeated involvement of NSW police” – on what basis do you make that assertion?
b) Did you seek a briefing from NSW Police on their view of the matter before sending the correspondence last week?
c) Why did you not act to prevent the disorder deliberately engineered to require police attendance, in the two months since you were made clearly aware that was her intention?
4. At the October 15 meeting, during her intentional disorder to generate social media content, Cr James made direct violent threats to either employees or contractors of council. As per her live stream video:
2.55 “I’m telling you now, bud. If you touch me, you’ll be hurt. So don’t. So this guy is coming to kick me out. He’s going to manhandle me, and he’s going to get a kick in the jaw too. I’m telling you, bud, for your own safety, do not touch me. I’m not joking.”
and shortly afterwards at 3.50 “no, I’m telling you, bud. If you touch me, be the last thing you do. I’m not joking. Don’t touch me. I mean it.”
a) Has the Minister ensured that this threat has been referred to NSW Police?
b) What action has the Minister taken to ensure the individuals subjected to those threats are ok?
c) What action has the Minister taken to identify how many others have been subjected to threats of, or actual physical harm, by Cr Kelly James?
5. Why is the Minister seeking to suspend all of Moree Plains Shire Council, when all of the evidence clearly indicates the issue is only with one member?
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