Councillors accused of sexual harassment would be immediately stood down under proposed Victorian law changes, following the misconduct scandal embroiling former Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle.
City of Melbourne councillors on Tuesday voted unanimously in support of changes to the Local Government Act, including allowing the chief municipal inspector to stand down someone accused of sexual harassment.
Under the motion to go to the Municipal Association of Victoria in May, an alleged offender could also be ordered not to attend work while being investigated.
It follows a council-contracted investigation into Mr Doyle which last month upheld four sexual misconduct allegations brought by Councillor Cathy Oke and her former colleague Tessa Sullivan.
Mr Doyle was accused of grabbing Ms Sullivan's breast while the pair were in a chauffeur-driven mayoral car, and putting his hand on Ms Oke's thigh.
He resigned in February, while continuing to deny all allegations.
A by-election for Melbourne's next lord mayor will be held in May.
During Tuesday night's meeting, Cr Oke told her colleagues it would be "crazy" if the council's proposals around sexual harassment were not endorsed by the association's state council.
The City of Melbourne is also calling for sexual harassment and misconduct to be included within the Local Government Act's definition of serious misconduct.
There are also calls for an update to code of conduct recommendations provided by the association.
"That (code of conduct) template ... is certainly no longer fit for purpose and needs a thorough review," Councillor Rohan Leppert said.
The City of Melbourne is reviewing its own code of conduct.
