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Cover-up claims, drug driving charges, toxic workplace plague Barkly Regional Council

Dark rain clouds start to fill the sky over the main street of Tennant Creek. (ABC RN: Stefan Fergueca)

Two former Barkly Regional Council employees have accused the council of covering up an internal report that was handed down in January. 

Mass resignations, a mayor twice accused of drug driving charges, and accusations of bullying and mismanagement by former chief executive Emma Bradbury, who resigned in March, painted a picture of a council "in complete turmoil".

More than 40 staff and four councillors have resigned in the past year.

A Business Process Review was the council's tool to address concerns about the workplace culture that led to the mass resignation of staff.

Justin Hankinson, who served as a health and safety officer for more than two years, said he became increasingly concerned about the council's workplace culture. 

He took part in the review despite having left the council in May last year.

He said he was concerned about the safety of those who remained.

"I was extremely concerned about the ongoing work environment that the other employees were remaining in, and the long-term effect that what was happening within the council would have on this community," he said.

Justin Hankinson says he has concerns for workers at Barkly Shire Council. (Supplied)

Mr Hankinson said he was given verbal assurances when he agreed to participate in the review that the results of the investigation would be made public.

"And that I would receive a summary of all the findings that were relevant to what I was discussing," he said.

"I have made a number of requests and I have been told, like many people, that the council is not going to make the findings and outcomes of that investigation public."

Mr Hankinson said he believed that between 12 to 14 former and current staff had been interviewed for the report.

Loss of corporate knowledge

Mr Hankinson said the loss of corporate knowledge through mass resignations had had far reaching ramifications for the community.

"They've had to bring in new people that have never worked in the area before," he said.

He said services in the region had suffered.

"I have been told numerous times there's been a domino effect that has badly affected the ability of the council to run a number of services that it's delivered for years, both within the Tennant Creek township and many of the communities it serves," he said.

Mr Hankinson said the report needed to be released.

"There needs to be an open and transparent investigation into everything that happened, that the people of this community, the ratepayers have a right to know what's occurred over the past 12 months or so and it needs to be acted on," he said.

Service concerns

Tennant Creek resident Sharen Lake, who has put her hand up for the Barkly Regional Council four months after resigning from her role as the council's director of community development, said she would also like the report to be released.

Sharen Lake is a former employee of the Barkly Regional Council. (Supplied: Sharen Lake)

She said the reasons for her resignation were a culmination of an unhealthy workplace environment and a failure from the council to provide basic services to the township and remote communities.

Ms Lake said the past 12 months had been difficult for everybody, including staff and councillors.

"People in their community have lost confidence in the council," she said.

"Nothing was done over the past 12 months.

"The previous year, we had delivered millions and millions of quality infrastructure.

"And that was with a direct alignment to the council and our current chief executive [Steve Moore] at that time." 

Ms Lake is hoping to fill one of the four positions left vacant after the resignations of four elected members in a 24-hour period in December.

Former Labor member for Barkly, Elliot McAdam, is also running for council.

The ABC contacted Barkly Regional Council for comment but received a response saying that it would not be commenting. 

Barkly Regional Council Mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin and then-chief executive officer Emma Bradbury have previously dismissed the complaints as the "venting" of a "small group of disgruntled ex-employees".

Deputy mayor Russell O'Donnell has previously said the council had received legal advice not to release the report.

In September, Ms Bradbury said she couldn't comment on individual cases and the council had zero tolerance for bullying, harassment and other forms of misconduct.

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