Councillor on the grind… just not in Town Hall

Adelaide City councillor Henry Davis missed committee meetings on Tuesday night, opting instead for a well-peppered steak at the Marriott Hotel Jakarta. 

While the council committee discussed sports on the park lands and aged care services, Davis tucked into a steak and chips with sides of gravy and tomato sauce and a large amount of pepper. 

Davis told InSider “it’s not practical at all” but confirmed it was a working pepper grinder. 

Of the five councillors who couldn’t make the meeting, Davis was the only one marked as “absent” in the minutes since he hadn’t sent in his apologies ahead of time.  

InSider readers may remember Davis missed the first Council meeting of the year – during which his travels were a hot topic – to enjoy the beach clubs of Bali.  

This time, Davis was welcomed to the JW Marriott hotel with a table in his hotel room full of food and a welcome message, which the Councillor snapped a pic of for his Instagram story captioning it, “they must have heard I order 24K gold cocktails”. 

With that little nod to InSider, we couldn’t help but take note of this trip at Davis’ invitation.  

Of the six Tuesday evening meetings at town hall since the start of 2024, Davis has missed three. First missing the council meeting for a holiday in Bali, then two committee meetings, including this one. 

Councillor Carmel Noon, who chaired the committee meeting on Tuesday, stated Davis had not sent in his apologies. Councillor Mary Couros then queried whether Davis was aware of the convention, to which the council administration said he was.

InSider thought we’d double-check. Davis said he doesn’t send in his apologies because he doesn’t have to. 

The Council’s Code of Practice for meeting procedures states “apologies for non-attendance at a Council or Council Committee meeting should be forwarded to the Chief Executive Officer before the scheduled start time of the meeting”.

“Should” is the key word Davis’ non-attendance is relying on.

“Apologies aren’t mandatory, they’re just obsessed with me… [the council] will find any opportunity to talk about me, which is lovely,” Davis said. 

The Code of Practice outlines that members who don’t attend a Council or Council Committee meeting “without the benefit of a formal leave of absence or an apology” are recorded as absent. 

“Members absent for more than three consecutive Council meetings without leave of absence being granted may lead to a declaration of a casual vacancy,” it reads. 

So, three strikes and you’re out.

Luckily for Davis, his absences weren’t all in a row, and he’s only missed one council meeting, with the committee meetings not counting towards this rule. 

A City of Adelaide spokesperson confirmed Davis has not breached meeting procedures as he had not failed to attend three consecutive council meetings.

“The reason why we have 12 elected members is so we can share the load and no, I don’t think that any of my residents would be concerned that I miss a meeting here or there… I still stay up to date, and I do my absolute best not to miss a council meeting,” Davis said. 

Davis said, unlike Bali, this was a business trip for his role as director of the Keystone project, a project to erect a 37-storey, 183-metre tower and hotel behind the state heritage-listed Freemasons Hall. 

“This alone will bring massive tourism to Adelaide. So, to my residents, I’m contributing to the economy, more so than any other Councillor who sits around the table.”

Who you gonna call? Jim’s Remedial Massages

Jim is the handyman we all need in our life. If there’s a problem, Jim can fix it. Most commonly known for Jim’s Mowing, Jim’s Group offers mobile services ranging from dog washes, fencing, cleaning, car detailing, diggers and so many more.

Jim’s Group announced this Tuesday they will be launching Jim’s Remedial Massage to contribute to the company’s ethos of “your local expert”. What can’t Jim do?

According to Jim’s Group and their entrepreneurial mindset, the health and wellness sector is growing and they “want a chunk of it”. This is after they launched Jim’s Beauty a few months ago.

If this wasn’t enough Jim, you can also apply for citizenship in Jimland, which is “brought to you by King Jim”. For just $20 “your dreams become our reality” by being involved in Jim’s micronation. According to Forbes, a micronation is a “political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state”.

Who knew Jim was so versatile (certainly not InSider)?

Stuff you should know…

A recent draft report by the Australian Productivity Commission on philanthropy found that women are leading the way in charitable giving in Australia.

The report, which is open for comment before being handed down in May, found that:

• Women are not only more likely to donate to charity than men, but they also contribute a higher percentage of their income to charitable organisations.
• There is a direct correlation that increasing incomes drive increased donations. The report includes a formula that shows a one per cent increase in income leads to just over half a per cent increase in giving.
• A Giving Australia report found women exceed men in volunteer hours, dedicating significant time to support charitable causes.
• Women’s giving is often targeted towards causes that promote social change, including health, education, and gender equality. Their philanthropic efforts are instrumental in addressing some of society’s most pressing challenges.

We probably didn’t need an official report to determine this, but it’s good to reiterate on International Women’s Day.