By ANEEKA SIMONIS
INVESTIGATIONS into Pakenham’s alleged sex house have been dropped, yet the veil of secrecy surrounding the drawn-out swinger saga continues.
Five months ago, Cardinia Shire Council was alerted to an alleged swingers venue operating in a residential home in Pakenham.
Suggestions of shady behaviour were put under investigation by council, who have remained tight-lipped on the issue since.
On Thursday 10 December, council announced they had dropped their investigation into the alleged sex operation due to a lack of sufficient evidence to prove a breach.
Despite repeated attempts to nail down which specific breach council were probing or the number of people believed to be involved in the rumoured sex parties, the Gazette has been snubbed at every turn.
Council’s silence is in stark contrast to findings from newly-released data indicating they are among the more transparent councils in Victoria. The data relates to the number of decisions made in closed meetings, and few Cardinia Shire Council decisions fall into the closed-door category.
Despite this, all council’s Manager for Development and Compliance Services Brett Jackson will reveal is that council “spoke to a number of people allegedly involved” when looking into whether the alleged sex house “breached the Cardinia Planning Scheme by creating a new planning use.”
But the investigation has since come to a close.
“As such, no further action is proposed at this time,“ Mr Jackson said.
In early July, news broke that a Pakenham home was allegedly catering to swingers searching for sex.
Single men were believed to be charged the highest rate – $80 for entry, while couples and single women were either charged at a lower rate or not at all.
It sparked community concerns surrounding neighbourhood safety, with at least one neighbour fearing the alleged shady activities might draw unsavoury characters to the area.
