Newcastle's Labor councillors say they want a confidential investigation report into chief executive Jeremy Bath made public, and so does Mr Bath.
The Newcastle Herald reported on Thursday that the Georgetown-Waratah Labor branch had passed a motion on Monday calling for their party colleagues on the council to release the investigation terms of reference and full report into allegations Mr Bath was involved in a letter-writing campaign to the Herald under the name of his long-time best friend, Scott Neylon.
Party sources said other Labor branches in the Newcastle local government area could pass similar motions next year.
The Labor councillors hit back on Thursday via ward three councillor Margaret Wood, who penned a letter to Georgetown-Waratah branch secretary Justin Davis saying the motion contained "significant inaccuracies".
Ms Wood wrote that the branch had declined a motion allowing councillors to "correct factual errors" in the Bath motion, which was circulated to other branches in the city after the meeting.
Ms Wood, who attended the branch meeting with councillor Peta Winney-Baartz and lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes, said councillors were forbidden from seeing or publishing the Bath report under procedures covering code of conduct investigations where no breach had been found.
Ms Wood wrote to Mr Davis that the elected council had "no power to release any documents relating to the investigation" but had approved a motion last week requiring council staff to work towards having the investigation report released under freedom of information laws.
"Restricting and gagging debate in a local branch is undemocratic, and it is disappointing that Members were not given the opportunity to consider all relevant information before a 17-point motion was carried in General Business," Ms Wood wrote in her letter to the branch.
The Herald has been told council governance staff will assess the freedom of information request from the elected council, including engaging with witnesses, respondents, complainants and anyone else named in the investigation report.
The investigation by Pinnacle Integrity found "insufficient evidence" to support the allegations against Mr Bath.
Pinnacle did not contact the Herald during the course of the investigation to see the published and unpublished Neylon letters.
Mr Bath voiced his desire for the investigation to be made public during an interview with NBN News on Tuesday night.
"Of course I want the report out there," he said.
"It's very frustrating that the report isn't out there so that everyone can read it."
Mr Bath told NBN that he had "no choice now but to come out and come out swinging" after the public allegations against him.
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery alleged under parliamentary privilege last month that Mr Bath had authored the letters and should be sacked.
Mr Neylon has lived in Japan for 25 years. Mr Bath has repeatedly denying playing a role in the letters.
Asked by NBN why Mr Neylon had used different addresses and misspelled his own name at times while writing letters to the Herald, Mr Bath said: "I have no idea ... That's actually examined in the report."
