Motions on supermarket density and nutrition labels on alcohol won't go to the national meeting of local councils in Canberra, after Shellharbour councillors voted them down.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Though not before the meeting descended into the fractiousness that is becoming all too common at council meetings.
The councillors were considering motions to be taken to the National General Assembly of Local Government conference in Canberra in July.
There were three motions up for debate - one from Mayor Chris Homer and two from Labor councillor Robert Petreski.
Mayor Homer's related to requesting an increase in the Federal Assistance Grants to 1 per cent of Commonwealth tax revenue.
Cr Petreski wanted the national body to consider pursuing nutritional labels on booze and to look at changes to the federal competition policy to limit a single supermarket chain from dominating in an area.
Cr Kellie Marsh moved a revised motion accepting Mayor Homer's but rejecting both of Cr Petreski's.
"The way I look at it is with any supermarket that opens, they're providing jobs, they're providing revenue, they're providing income for our locals," Cr Marsh said.
"And I think that that's not up to me or any of us to, to judge what's right or wrong to put somewhere and what type of business - I think that's up to the market to dictate."
Cr Petreski said he wasn't surprised that his motions were being scrapped - but he was disappointed.
Then he tried to talk about his proposals, but was stopped by Mayor Homer because they were not part of the new motion on the floor.
Tempers began to rise when Cr Petreski rightly pointed out that Cr Marsh had been allowed to talk about them.
"The business paper has two motions that are printed and we're going to ignore them?" Cr Petreski asked.
The tension was broken by Shellharbour CEO Mike Archer, who noted that if Cr Marsh was allowed to talk about them, then so should Cr Petreski.
"Now, the theme for the National General Assembly this year, is to build community trust, what better way to build community trust and to actually empower the community to have some kind of say in what their community will look like," Cr Petreski said.
Cr Lou Stefanovski spoke up, wondering why there was such a long debate on such a simple decision about sending motions to the national meeting.
"If these three are supported by us, councillors, what does it matter?," Cr Stefanovski said.
"They might get knocked back, all three might get through at the end of the day. Let's put them on the table.
"Let's give the other councillors, there's gonna be thousands of them, a say. They might like them. They might not like them.
"But why are we wasting half an hour debating something that could be sorted out in five minutes in Canberra next month?"
But the debate continued - reaching a peak with a vote of dissent in Mayor Homer.
The vote came after Cr Jacqui Graf began speaking about comments Cr Petreski had made about an earlier debate on apprenticeships, but he was cut off.
He questioned why Cr Graf was allowed to address that issue, but he wasn't.
"I brought it up and I was stopped and I wasn't allowed to proceed," he said.
When Mayor Homer allowed Cr Graf to continue, Cr Petreski moved a dissent motion which was lost 5-4.
Cr Marsh's motion went the same way, Cr Petreski's pair of motions made it no further than the council papers.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
