What else has Cr Andrew been up to?

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Published: Tuesday, 13 October 2026 15:04

He had an AVO taken out against him only last week by a female Councillor and was mentioned in the Local Court. He used his social media to announce that police had served him with an interim AVO against a Victorian woman which won’t be heard until next year, and he has the outstanding police action and application for an AVO by his neighbour. This is an extraordinary story that we covered in the April issue, including a link to a broadcast by 2GB’s Ben Fordham which is worth watching twice, under the heading "EXCLUSIVE - Cooma pest Andrew Thaler charged by police".

Underpinning all of this is the continuing argument about a three-month suspension imposed by the Office of Local Government on 28 July 2025. It was Thaler’s second suspension. All this misconduct and these suspensions pre-date our member, the CEO working at Snowy-Monaro!

This was appealed by the OLG to the NSW Court of Appeal on three grounds: the tribunal misapprehended a statutory function, it misapplied a principal from criminal sentencing to the disciplinary proceedings before it, and that the orders as to disciplinary action “were manifestly inadequate”.

OLG won, the Court emphasised Thaler failed to see the seriousness of this misconduct allowed the appeal on the other two grounds sending the proceedings back to NCAT to be determined in accordance with the law. Take that NCAT, the penalty had better be “manifestly adequate” next time. Well done OLG.

When NCAT, after that rebuke, suspends him, it will be his third suspension... He is heading irretrievably to be disqualified as a councillor.

We are confident our case will conclude before that happens.