OUTSPOKEN Ballarat MP Dianne Hadden has attacked Ballarat City Council for keeping ratepayers in the dark over plans to relocate the saleyards.
The Ballarat Province MLC described the council's handling of the matter as "bulldozing of the highest order", saying councillors were "arrogant and out of touch" with ratepayers.
Her comments have angered Saleyards Advisory Committee Chairman Cr Wayne Rigg, who has called for Ms Hadden's resignation over the issue.
Cr Rigg said Ms Hadden had no understanding of council process and was only "shooting her mouth off" for political gain.
The stoush comes days after the council announced plans to move the saleyards from Latrobe St to a site off the Haddon-Windermere Rd.
The plans were unveiled two weeks after the council decided on the move at an in-camera meeting.
Ms Hadden slammed the council for not consulting the community first, saying residents were angry they had been treated like "mushrooms".
She also said there was a gross conflict of interest, with Learmonth Ward Cr Wayne Rigg heading the Saleyards Advisory Board.
"People are sick of the subterfuge, they're sick of sneaky advisory groups that are not representative of Ballarat," Ms Hadden said.
"The moving of the saleyards is a massive development involving a massive impact on a number of people, but again the community's been ignored."
Cr Rigg has called for Ms Hadden to resign over the issue and plans to launch a motion of no confidence against the MP.
He accused Ms Hadden of undermining council process for her own political gain and said she was a "laughing stock" who didn't appreciate the economic importance of the project.
"Clearly this demonstrates Dianne's absolutely unprofessional manner in which she operates because she has no appreciation at all of the project and hadn't even bothered to find out the facts before going to the media and shooting
her mouth off," he said.
Cr Rigg said the project was only in the early stages with a public meeting tonight starting the consultation process.
He said consultation would continue in the next six to eight weeks leading up to the lodgment of a planning application.
"There are issues relating to land sales and legal documentation ... that can't be done in a public forum, and any sensible person would understand that," he said.
A public meeting will be held at the Cardigan Village Community Centre today at 5.30pm.