Date: 11 July 2026
Hepburn Shire Council‘s Mayor, Cr Tony Clark, has been automatically stood down after being served with alleged criminal charges initiated by a private individual, council confirmed on Friday.
The matter is proceeding as a private prosecution and has not involved an investigation, fact-finding process, or assessment by Victoria Police or any public prosecutorial authority, council said.
Under the Local Government Act 2020, the standdown is automatic while the matter proceeds through the courts. Deputy Mayor, Cr Shirley Cornish, will step into the mayoral role in the interim.
Council said it was constrained in what it could publicly comment on while the matter, and related proceedings involving other council representatives, remain before the courts. It would be inappropriate, council said, to discuss the substance of the allegations or matters that may ultimately be determined by the court.
Cr Clark is the third senior Hepburn Shire figure to face a private prosecution in 2026. Cr Don Henderson, a former mayor, was automatically stood down in March after being charged with misusing his position under section 123 of the Local Government Act, in action brought by private prosecutor David Penman.
Chief executive Bradley Thomas was charged in the same matter with two counts of misconduct in public office over alleged unlawful expenditure of ratepayer funds; as an appointed officer rather than an elected member, Thomas has continued in his role while the case proceeds. He recently announced his resignation from the council, and will depart next month.
Council has not named the individual involved in the action against Cr Clark, and it has not been confirmed whether this matter is connected to the earlier prosecution against Henderson and Thomas.
Council said it welcomed proposed amendments by the Victorian Government that would mean councillors are no longer automatically stood down in similar circumstances, and noted the effect that “unfounded and untested allegations” have had on those involved.