Robe Council Mayor Lisa Ruffell Disputes Bullying Allegations

Robe council mayor Lisa Ruffell has strongly disputed the findings of an investigation into alleged breaches of behavioural standards, which included claims she made derogatory comments about staff members.

Investigation findings

An independent investigation, led by Kelledy Jones Lawyers, was ordered by the council in June into allegations Ms Ruffell had undermined the professional reputation of council employees, contributed to distress, created governance instability and contributed to psychosocial risks for staff.

The investigation summary report, published by the council on Wednesday, outlined multiple instances of Ms Ruffell allegedly criticising council staff in public settings. These included telling a staff member that an asset could be fixed "if it wasn't for your big fat salary" during a meeting with state government representatives unrelated to that asset.

The report also noted that Ms Ruffell said a staff member "needs to go back to netball and lose some weight" while at a community photo shoot for council grant recipients. Additionally, the investigation identified instances where Ms Ruffell allegedly described employees as "lazy" and said "they don't do anything" while discussing council business and employee matters with community members.

Investigators reviewed "rude, undermining and disrespectful" emails sent by Ms Ruffell to employees and described her as "dismissive" in meetings, often "rolling her eyes" while staff spoke.

Mayor's response

Ms Ruffell has disputed the findings in full, stating that the report "does not adequately identify the evidence relied on" and that "adverse witness material was not provided to her in full".

"I am also disappointed that the publicly available meeting papers contain only the investigator's summary, rather than the full report," she said. "I believe the community deserves a fuller understanding of the material being relied upon".

Ms Ruffell said she would wait until Monday's meeting to comment further but "strongly" disputed the investigation's findings and had concerns about its process. She also claimed she had sought informal resolution and mediation "from the outset" and that the decision to pursue a formal investigation "was not mine".

The matter will be discussed at a council meeting on Monday night, where elected members will vote on whether to censure Ms Ruffell. She will be absent from the discussion due to conflict of interest protocols.