All of the findings against Mr Doyle were also found to have “occurred in the context of the Lord Mayor having consumed substantial amounts of red wine”.

Ms Sullivan quit the council in December, having lodged an incendiary statement against Mr Doyle.

Cr Oke remains at Town Hall. At a council meeting on Tuesday she told of the difficulties of speaking out about Mr Doyle.

“In coming forward I should [have been] safe in knowing that there was a process I could trust and that the situation could be dealt with appropriately,” she said.

She also called for “the organisations and individuals tasked with supporting the local government sector to bring their heads out of the sand and take this situation seriously”.

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Cr Oke, a councillor for a decade, said the state government, the Municipal Association of Victoria, and the Victorian Local Government Association needed to better support victims of harassment in councils.

She said the state government should “seriously consider an independent committee or person to receive complaints – either state-wide, regionally, or as a requirement for each council”.

She said the Local Government Act and all council codes of conduct needed to “include as mandatory training in acceptable workplace behaviour. And we need to make sure that sexual harassment is clearly defined as serious or gross misconduct in the Local Government Act”.

Municipal Association of Victoria president Mary Lalios said Cr Oke’s proposals were worth considering.

And she said the findings against Mr Doyle highlighted the need for better ways of dealing with sexual harassment allegations, and maintaining a safe workplace for councillors and staff.

“We are active in trying to encourage greater women’s participation within local government to ensure the views of councils are truly representative of their communities," said Cr Lailos, a councillor at Whittlesea.

“We must also ensure women do not feel vulnerable undertaking their elected roles due to inadequate safeguards that fail to deal with inappropriate behaviours.” 

“Where there are rare and regrettable instances of councillor behaviour - such as sexual harassment - alternative procedures should be available so complaints can be raised without fear in a safe and supported manner."

Debate about how to best deal with harassment claims came as the Greens’ candidate for lord mayor, Rohan Leppert, said there was a massive expectation that the person who replaced Mr Doyle would “lead by example in an open, healthy and safe workplace. Culture comes from the top”.

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Cr Leppert is a councillor at Melbourne City Council - a role he will resume if he is not elected lord mayor.

He said if elected he would publish a diary every month detailing the location, purpose and attendees of every meeting he had.

And the lord mayor’s office would become “an alcohol-free zone”.

The investigation into Mr Dopyle's behaviour made recommendations against the "consumption of alcohol at Melbourne City Council”. In the year to October 2017, more than $7000 was spent providing alcohol for the lord mayor's office and post-council meeting dinners.

Cr Leppert said that Town Hall needed to have a reputation for good governance.

“And that means a transparent and open lord mayor’s office.”