Cr Rosa Grine has disgraced herself, her position, and the Cessnock community. After being ordered by the District Court to repay a staggering $593,000, including interest, stemming from what she dubiously claimed was a “gift” — the only thing Cessnock has been gifted is scandal.
Let’s not sugarcoat this. In 2018, Cr Grine accepted $300,000 from a former employee of her restaurant. That’s not a birthday card from grandma. That’s not a scratchie win. That’s a serious amount of money — more than most Australians make in years. And her defence? That the money was gifted to her out of the goodness of someone’s heart.
The court didn’t buy it. Neither should we.
This is not a misunderstanding. This is a complete failure of ethical judgment, from someone elected to make decisions about our roads, rates and rubbish — and yes, our trust. What kind of elected official accepts hundreds of thousands of dollars from a subordinate and then turns around and pretends it was just “given” to her, no strings attached?
Let’s be clear: the NSW District Court ruled it was a loan. The evidence — including text messages and financial records — made it undeniable. Yet Cr Grine still attempted to weasel her way out of it. The court has now slapped her with a nearly $600,000 repayment order, and yet we’ve heard nothing — no apology, no resignation, not even a hint of remorse.
The arrogance is astounding.
This isn’t about left or right. It’s about right and wrong. Rosa Grine sits in a position of public responsibility. And instead of living up to that standard, she has shown us what entitlement looks like — not in theory, but in practice.
She took the money, expanded her business (which ultimately failed), and when asked to repay the person who helped her, she claimed it was a gift. That’s not leadership. That’s moral bankruptcy — and if she doesn’t pay the court-ordered amount, she may literally be declared bankrupt. In that case, she’ll be automatically disqualified from council anyway. But why wait?
Our community deserves more than a councillor embroiled in courtroom drama and financial scandal. We deserve someone who isn’t trying to worm their way out of repaying a $300,000 loan from a worker who trusted them.
And let’s not pretend this doesn’t affect her duties. If Cr Grine can’t manage her own finances with integrity, how can she be trusted to manage public responsibilities?
If Rosa Grine had an ounce of integrity left, she would do the only honourable thing: resign. Not tomorrow. Not after some internal Labor Party discussion. Not after the media storm settles. Now.
The people of Cessnock didn’t elect her to be a cautionary tale. But that’s what she’s become. Every day she clings to her seat is a day the council’s reputation is further damaged by her disgrace.
Labor needs to explain how this kind of candidate was ever endorsed. The system failed us once. Let’s not fail again by pretending this is acceptable behaviour. If a private citizen pulled this kind of stunt — taking $300,000 and refusing to pay it back — they’d be publicly shamed and possibly hounded into bankruptcy. Why should a councillor be treated any differently?
Public office is not a personal piggy bank. It’s a trust. And Cr Grine has broken it.
Time’s up.
Resign. Now.
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