Row erupts after former councillor quits state women’s team
A former SA councillor has quit the state’s peak local government group for women over governance and bullying allegations.
Former Alexandrina councillor Bronwyn Lewis quit the South Australian branch of the Australian Local Government Women’s Association, claiming she was concerned about how the not-for-profit is run and making allegations of bullying.
Announcing the news on her social media channels, Lewis said she resigned after considerable reflection and had referred her concerns to Consumer and Business Services (CBS).
CBS is a division of the Attorney-General’s Department that works to protect consumers, support and regulate businesses and record births, deaths and marriages.
Lewis wrote that she was “immensely proud” of what she achieved while at the ALGWA, including advocating for a Parliamentary Inquiry into Bullying and Harassment in Local Government and advancing women’s leadership.
“Unfortunately, ongoing governance concerns, failures to observe constitutional processes and my own experience of behaviour I consider to be bullying have made my continued involvement untenable,” she wrote.
In a statement sent to InDaily, ALGWA SA branch president and Campbelltown Mayor Jill Whittaker acknowledged the concerns raised by Lewis, saying the organisation takes them seriously.
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Whittaker claimed the resignation followed the appointment of Lewis as a delegate to the national ALGWA board being overturned on July 30, after it was found to be in conflict with the organisation’s constitution.
She said that after reviewing the appointment, ALGWA SA determined that the constitution only allowed for branch president Jill Whittaker to be appointed as a delegate.
Whittaker said Lewis lodged a notice of dispute with the branch and that a dispute resolution committee was established, inviting Lewis “to set out the nature of her complaint and the outcome she sought”.
However, she said Lewis resigned from the committee with immediate effect before providing that information.
“ALGWA SA is committed to following our Constitution and addressing concerns through fair and respectful procedures,” Whittaker said.
“The Branch has represented elected members in South Australia for 21 years. We remain focused on serving our members and maintaining sound governance.”
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In response, Lewis told InDaily she was “disappointed” by the suggestion from Whittaker that she had failed to provide details of her concerns, saying: “This is simply incorrect”.
Lewis said she raised her concerns directly at a committee meeting on August 27, 2026, “repeatedly” seeking an explanation on why she was removed as a delegate.
“No substantive explanation was provided,” she said.
Lewis said she then raised her concerns in writing and formally invoked a clause of the ALGWA SA’s constitution that provides for resolution and mediation.
She claimed that having only one representative from South Australia was a breach of the national ALGWA constitution and believed the proposed dispute resolution committee would not be fair due to being comprised of members who made the original decision to remove her.
“These are fundamental questions of procedural fairness, natural justice and constitutional compliance, not personality differences,” she said.
“It is deeply ironic that an organisation established to support women experiencing bullying and harassment should dismiss legitimate governance concerns rather than address them through a genuinely independent process.
“My resignation was not a decision taken lightly, but I cannot remain associated with an organisation whose governance practices I believe fall short of the standards it advocates for others.”
A spokesperson from CBS said a complaint had been received in relation to the matter and that it was currently being assessed.
“We are not in a position to provide further detail at this stage,” he said.
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