Snowy Monaro Regional Councillor Andrew Thaler has been suspended from civic office for three months following the Office of Local Government (OLG) ruling he breached council's code of conduct during a series of social media videos and written posts.
The OLG released its findings into a number of code of conduct complaints against Cr Thaler, determining the allegations constitute a breach of council's adopted code of conduct.
OLG deputy secretary, Brett Whitworth, issued the suspension on Monday, 5 May. He said Cr Thaler will be suspended from civic office for three months under the Local Government Act. Cr Thaler was given an opportunity to reply to the allegations, following OLG correspondence to him in April.
Mr Whitworth also stated in the findings that Cr Thaler is required to apologise for his comments in the social media posts, deemed to have breached the code of conduct.
'On 5, 6, 12 and 14 March, 2025, Cr Thaler breached applicable provisions of the council's adopted code of conduct and as such, engaged in misconduct, as defined by 440F (1) (b) of the Act. Specifically, the conduct was evidenced by comments made in videos and written posts on social media,' the OLG said in its statement of reasons and order of suspension document relating to Cr Thaler's code of conduct breaches.
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Mr Whitworth said he is satisfied all allegations relating to these particular complaints have been substantiated and that Cr Thaler engaged in misconduct through behaviour in videos and written posts made publicly available on social media on 5, 6, 12, and 14 March, 2025.
Cr Thaler's suspension starts on 13 May, 2025, and ends on 4 August, 2025. He must apologise for the misconduct within 14 days from the order being made (5 May) in writing, addressed to the individuals named in online comments and make the apology available to council's general manager for publication in any manner the general manager believes is necessary to reach the greatest number of Snowy Monaro residents.
