Shire president Rob Coales subject of complaint after turning up to woman’s house over Facebook comment

A shire president in Perth’s south is at the centre of a complaint after showing up to a resident’s house uninvited because she posted a Facebook comment saying his council’s salary increase was an “absolute disgrace”. The Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale will hear an official complaint against its elected leader Rob Coales later this month, made by constituent Melanie McDonald who made the online post. Ms McDonald had responded to a separate councillor’s social media post addressing a recent budget decision around councillor meeting attendance pay, saying the fact elected members would receive a salary increase of more than 35 per cent was an “absolute disgrace.” Camera footage outside Ms McDonald’s home then shows Mr Coales arriving at her house at around 5.05pm on August 28 and knocking on her door but she did not answer. The visit was followed by a Facebook message from Mr Coales’ private account two days later — seen by The West Australian — that said “attempted to door knock you on Thursday. Left my card”. The message also invited her to give him a call to “chat about the rates and shire”. Ms McDonald told The West Australian the encounter left her feeling intimidated. “He walked up to my house, I’d never met him before, never spoken to him before,” she said. The incident prompted Ms McDonald to make a formal complaint to the Shire, saying in the form, also seen by The West, that the uninvited appearance at her doorstep had made her feel “harassed and unsafe”. The West Australian does not suggest that there was anything inappropriate or wrong with Mr Coales visit to the home. Mr Coales declined a request for comment citing shire complaints rules, but denied using any shire documents or the electoral roll to find Ms McDonald’s address. A Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale spokesman said the local government body had received a complaint and it would be discussed by council. “The Code of Conduct for councillors, committee members and candidates provides clear procedures for handling complaints to ensure fairness to all parties, and the matter will be considered as a confidential item at the next council meeting,” he said The complaint is set to be dealt with at the council’s October 13 meeting but will be done behind closed doors.