Council candidate support for Palestine campaign continues to grow

More than 20 council candidates in the Geelong region have now pledged their support to a campaign that “demonstrates that Palestine is an important voter issue”.

Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

     

The number of council candidates in the Geelong region pledging support for Palestine continues to grow, enraging a federal MP who says the move is divisive and outside the realm of local government.

Sixteen candidates in the City of Greater Geelong, three in the Surf Coast Shire, and one each in Golden Plains and the Borough of Queenscliffe have responded to the We Vote For Palestine campaign.

Labor candidates are the latest to add their names to the list, including Cheetham ward candidate and current councillor Melissa Cadwell, Teagan Mitchell in Charlemont, and Andy Richards in Deakin.

Ms Cadwell supports all three pledges put forward by the Palestine group.

These are to lobby council to denounce “Israel’s occupation, apartheid and genocidal war on Palestine”, adopt an “active and consistent position on human rights”, and update policies to “avoid and divest from companies that support the illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel or profit from it”.

Mr Richards supports the first two points, while Ms Mitchell and Barrabool Hills candidate Aleta Moriarty support only the second pledge.

Like Ms Cadwell, Deakin ward candidate Nicholas Kennedy supports the pledge in its entirety, as do the Greens’ three Surf Coast Shire candidates – Kate Gazzard, Aleisja Henry and Phoebe Crockett.

Factoring in Golden Plains Greens candidate Gavin Gamble, all 11 of the party’s candidates across the region have pledged their full support.

Lucille Colombo, who said she was not a member of a political party, was the sole Queenscliffe candidate to take the pledge.

The Greens’ Surf Coast Shire candidates Kate Gazzard, Aleisja Henry and Phoebe Crockett with state MP Sarah Mansfield (second from left). Picture: Jo Bangles.

Senator Sarah Henderson slammed the would-be councillors over their stance and urged voters to put them last.

“Candidates should be focused on putting our community first consistent with the core responsibilities of local government, not using council elections as a Trojan horse to advance their hateful, anti-Israel agenda,” she said.

She said the signatories were “seeking to sow seeds of division in our community”.

Nearly 300 council candidates across Victoria have pledged to take action if elected.

“We Vote For Palestine is breaking ground, starting at the council level,” co-organiser Fatima Measham said.

“The response from candidates and voters shows a strong appetite for substantive justice in Palestine.”

Free Palestine Geelong held a CBD rally on Saturday, following an October 7 vigil that it said “marked the sadness of 365 days of a genocide”.

“We marched to show the Australian government and Geelong council that we have not grown tired, we are still here and we will continue to fight until Australia withdraws any and all support for Israel and their genocidal regime in Palestine,” the group’s Noor Al-Assafi said.

Ratepayers have until October 25 to return their ballots, which started hitting local letterboxes last week.

Originally published as Council candidate support for Palestine campaign continues to grow