Stone lands new council role

Mr Stone has been appointed its general manager strategy and growth, with his main responsibilities being economic development and tourism, and statutory and strategic planning.

In announcing the appointment on Thursday, Mildura CEO Martin Hawson and Mr Stone were both transparent regarding Mr Stone’s sudden departure from ERC last year.

The sometimes controversial CEO’s contract was terminated “effective immediately” at council’s monthly meeting on May 19, 2024.

The reason behind the sacking was never publicly revealed, but Mr Stone later told another media outlet “it certainly wasn’t due to my performance” before volunteering he’d had some disagreements with then mayor Peta Betts.

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t a friendly parting of the ways,” Mr Stone said in the council’s announcement.

“My position was terminated (by councillors) without reason and had nothing to do with my performance. I’m very proud of my tenure at Edward River, despite the way it ended.

“There were some rather challenging political circumstances we just couldn’t get through, however we achieved a lot at Edward River and formed a great team in the four years I was there.”

Mr Stone’s tenure at Edward River Council had seen numerous controversies.

He always appeared to have the unwavering support of Cr Betts and her majority bloc of councillors, despite others publicly expressing concern about the council’s direction and some of its decisions.

It has escalated since the Pastoral Times revealed in January 2024 that ERC’s payroll had surged to nearly $12 million.

At the time of the merger between Deniliquin Council and Conargo Shire Council, the combined payroll was $7.4 million, with predicted savings from merging the two entities.

There had also been issues with the Edward River Village seniors’ living precinct, with council having difficulty selling the completed units.

Mr Hawson said Mr Stone was upfront regarding his departure from Edward River Council from the outset.

“Of course we looked thoroughly into the matter, however based on our own investigation there was no reflection on Phil’s competency and ability to do the job.

“His experience and success speak for themselves, and we look forward to seeing similar results within Mildura Rural City Council.”