Adelaide City Councillors to have training in how to treat each other after nasty meeting

Adelaide City councillors will have training in how to treat with other with respect after a “nasty” meeting this week, in which a councillor called another one a “dickhead”.

Adelaide City Councillors: Front, Simon Hou, Mary Couros, Alex Hyde, Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor, Anne Moran, Helen Donovan. Back, Arman Abrahimzadeh, Housman Abiad, Robert Simms, Franz Knoll, Jessy Khera. Far back, Phillip Martin. Picture: AAP / Russell Millard

Adelaide City councillors will have a training session about how to play nice following a fiery council meeting last Tuesday where one member was called a “dickhead”.

In a leaked email, seen by The City, from Adelaide City Council chief executive Mark Goldstone to elected members and leadership has called for a training session to “revisit” code of conduct and meeting procedures.

That 30-minute session with Natasha Jones, of KelledyJones Lawyers, would be held on Tuesday, June 4, before a committee meeting.

In the email, Mr Goldstone said councillors had to be mindful of their interactions because meetings were live-streamed and on display to the community.

“Looking back over Tuesday night’s recording, it is apparent there is a lack of awareness of the code of conduct for council members, of which you are all bound,” Mr Goldstone said in the email.

“This includes establishing and maintaining a respectful relationship with all council members, regardless of differences of views and opinions.

“It is important for council’s reputation, effective decision making and also community trust to debate matters in a professional and respectful manner.

“It would also seem that members would benefit from a greater understanding of procedural matters, such as points of order.”

Incidents at the May 14 meeting included a heated discussion between Cr Anne Moran and Cr Arman Abrahimzadeh about respect between members — after Cr Moran called Cr Abrahimzadeh a “dickhead”.

Cr Moran said after the meeting the name-calling was in response to Cr Abrahimzadeh using words that started with ‘d’ to describe the perception of developers.

“When he did that, I did say, ‘you are a bit of a dickhead’, in a joking way,” Cr Moran said.

“He misheard me the first time and I teased him and said, ‘well you are acting now like a bit of a dickhead’.”

Cr Simon Hou accused Cr Robert Simms at the meeting of using a motion as a “stepping stone for his own political ambitions”.

In response, Cr Simms said every time he puts up a motion he “sits through about half an hour of abuse”.

Cr Mary Couros believed her relationship with her O’Connell St restaurateur “de facto husband” was belittled when he was referred to as her “boyfriend” during discussion about North Adelaide parking.

Acting Lord Mayor Houssam Abiad, who told councillors to “hug it out” a few times, said after the meeting some members’ behaviour was unacceptable

“All elected members must remember that when they are in the chamber they are not representing themselves, they are representing their community,” Mr Abiad said.

“We all have different points of views, and people are entitled to their point of view, but I am finding that those points of views are not respected.

“I am finding people are … prepared to demean and label.”

Mr Goldstone told The City councillors were given comprehensive training about code of conduct and meeting procedures in November last year.

“Administration also provide regular opportunities for council members to familiarise themselves with the regulatory requirements of their roles,” he said.

He did not say how much the training would cost.