Bitter feud embroils Melton Council as ‘feared political player’ charged with breaching court orders

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The husband of a Melton councillor has been charged with intervention order breaches and the municipality’s mayor is calling for immediate action against his colleague as tensions reach boiling point.

Melton Mayor Steve Abboushi accused Councillor Ashleigh Vandenberg of spreading misinformation and making unsubstantiated claims of bullying, harassment and vilification.

Councillor Ashleigh Vandenberg and her husband, Simon Vallone.

In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Abboushi said he had referred the situation to Local Government Minister Nick Staikos and the Local Government Inspectorate for immediate action.

“Her [Vandenberg] allegations that councillors are facing criminal charges are entirely false and intended to discredit councillors and mislead the community,” he said.

He also referenced an $800,000 compensation claim filed by her husband, former council candidate Simon Vallone, alleging Melton Council had breached his human rights.

“He has also failed to provide any evidence of such breaches at this stage, and council intends to defend the proceeding if it goes ahead,” Abboushi said.

Thursday’s events are the culmination of months of instability at Melton Council. Vandenberg and Vallone frequently claim on social media that they are under attack by the council and Victorian Labor. Vandenberg and Vallone have also made vast, unsubstantiated allegations about councillors, including gendered and racist abuse, the theft of public funds and branch stacking.

Vallone, who regularly accuses Victorian Labor of being run by dictators, posted last week that Melton Council was “about to learn why I am a feared political player”.

Vallone was arrested on Thursday and charged with breaches of intervention orders. He was bailed to appear at Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on December 12, according to Victoria Police.

He has two separate interim public safety intervention orders against him taken out by Melton councillors Phillip Zada and Lara Carli.

While public safety intervention orders are civil matters, breaching them is a criminal offence. Interim orders can be made at short notice and do not require the same level of evidence as a final order.

The temporary order protecting Zada was served in July after he alleged Vallone continually sent him text messages and shared social media posts about him, including a photo of him and his young son.

The order application, lodged by police, claimed Vallone had told Zada his “time is running out” and Zada feared attending public events.

Vallone has been banned from communicating with Zada, being within 25 metres of him or publishing posts about him.

He was granted leave to apply to revoke the order in January ahead of a contested hearing over a permanent intervention order.

Melton councillors Phillip Zada, Steve Abboushi, Lara Carli and Brandi Morris.

Zada, Carli and Vandenberg are all Labor Party members. A Labor source, who could not be named speaking about internal matters, said Vallone had been expelled from the party last month.

Vallone said he intended to fight the charges and accused the council of human rights breaches. He labelled Abboushi’s statement “seriously unprofessional”.

Vandenberg said she had written to the Local Government Inspectorate and Victorian ministers to sack the council. She said the charges against Vallone were vexatious.

Zada and Carli did not respond to requests for comment.

Ashleigh Vandenberg wants Melton Council to be sacked.

Staikos confirmed he had received correspondence from Abboushi regarding councillor conduct.

“These matters will be dealt with according to the Local Government Act,” he said.

Abboushi said: “While these matters are upsetting for our councillors, staff and community, they will not divert our attention from what truly matters – the people of the City of Melton.”

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