Stonnington Councillor Tom Humphries suspended for misconduct

Stonnington Councillor Tom Humphries has been issued a four-week suspension following a finding of misconduct during a council debate. The sanction follows an arbitration regarding comments made during a discussion about installing a menorah at Malvern Town Hall to mark Hanukkah.

Arbiter Diana Price found that Humphries used language, including terms such as “antisemitic”, “unlawful”, and “grotesque”, that went beyond the bounds of robust democratic debate. The report concluded that his statements were directed at individuals rather than procedural motions and were intended to “bully, intimidate or harangue his colleagues to vote his way”.

The arbitration was initiated by Mayor Melina Sehr, Deputy Mayor Samantha Choudhury, and councillors Jami Klisaris and Steve Stefanopoulos. They argued that Humphries’ conduct brought discredit to the council and created a hostile environment through what they described as “baseless accusations” and “vilification”.