Elliot ‘pleased’ after Hobart Council apologises for event block

Councillor Louise Elliot says a drawn-out discrimination dispute over a ‘women’s rights’ event booking with the Hobart City Council has been resolved. Why she’s pleased.

City of Hobart councillor Louise Elliot says she’s ‘. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The Hobart City Council has apologised to councillor Louse Elliot following an incident of staff blocking her from holding an event.

Ms Elliot has said she is “pleased” the discrimination complaint has been resolved after lodging a complaint with the state’s Anti-Discrimination Commissioner in December.

“It’s taken several months and lots of persistence but I’m pleased to say that the atrocious discrimination towards me that involved multiple parties has been admitted,” she said.

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t just straight-up, blatant discrimination.

Hobart City Councillor Louise Elliot. Picture: Chris Kidd

“The depth of the lying, scheming, gaslighting, privacy breaches, and frustration of legal avenues and processes has been astounding.”

Ms Elliot had tried to make a booking for the Town Hall venue space as a private citizen for a “women’s rights” forum in September last year.

After being blocked from making the booking, she shared emails on social media between City of Hobart staffers in which they believed the booking was for an anti-transgender event.

Ms Elliot is known for campaigning against transgender women using women’s spaces and has been referred to the tribunal over allegations she incited hate speech on the basis of gender identity previously.

The council’s decision to issue an apology has made Ms Elliot optimistic of change in council culture.

“The culture that facilitated this appalling conduct has radiated from the top but has now been exposed so important lessons can be learned,” she said.

“I’ve been bullied for months by a handful of colleagues for believing that women need female-only sports and some spaces, like change rooms, prisons and shelters.”

City of Hobart CEO CEO Michael Stretton said the matter was resolved through a conciliation process, but would not provide further comment.

Michael Stretton the new City of Hobart CEO. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“The City of Hobart is currently working through these matters,” he said.

“The matter will be publicly communicated in the open section of the July Hobart City Council meeting.”

Ms Elliot said further “processes” would continue in relation to the September 2023 incident, including those related to privacy and right to information issues.

Originally published as Elliot ‘pleased’ after Hobart Council apologises for event block