Mackay council mural vote divides once-strong alliance

Community anger is simmering after a divisive skate park mural was painted over without residents being consulted on what they wanted. The controversy has exposed fractures in council chambers, and the Northern Beaches. TAKE THE POLL

A vote to deny community consultation before removing a controversial skate park mural has fractured Mackay Regional Council chambers.

Mayor Greg Williamson, deputy mayor Karen May and first-term councillor Michelle Green were the sole supporters behind seeking public input.

Martin Bella and seven councillors voted against putting it to public consultation on Wednesday.

It was not Mr Bella’s motion before the council.

“I strongly supported the amended motion previously because I believe things need to go through a process,” he said.

“There are plenty of other deserving people who have not been granted memorials and I will not glorify an illegal action that places other people’s lives at risk.”

Social media has since erupted, fuelled by a public statement from Mr Williamson that said he was saddened to see the mural painted over “without an opportunity for council and the community to talk more fully about it”.

“I hear and understand the community’s disappointment in this decision, I too am disheartened by the outcome,” he said.

Ms May described the decision to deny her motion to put the matter to public consultation as a sad day.

“This is the worst decision this council has made,” she said.

“Absolutely no regard for the Northern Beaches and the wider Mackay Region community.

“It’s a sad day when eight out the 11 councillors voted to not consult with the community.”

The councillor vote calls into question the validity of previous claims the Greg Williamson Alliance votes as a bloc on council matters.

The alliance dominated the election ballot and those elected in March 2020, with criticism lobbed during the early days as a council that they were acting as a united front.

Ms May and Ms Green were both part of the alliance.

Justin Englert, Belinda Hassan, Fran Mann and Pauline Townsend ran for council on the alliance ticket.

Mr Bella, Alison Jones and Laurence Bonaventura are outspoken independents.

Combined, the eight blocked the motion to consult the community.

“The notified motion put to Council by Deputy Mayor Karen May yesterday, sought to reset the debate, by aiming for a stay of execution from the previous decision of council to remove it,” Mr Williamson said.

“That motion was intentioned to allow time for further and deeper community consultation to take place and to possibly fix the artwork that had been started.

“That motion was put to council by Cr Karen May, seconded by Cr Michelle Green and when it came time to pass our votes, I voted with them to uphold the motion and initiate a period of consultation with the community.

“Eight councillors voted to remove the artwork immediately.”

It was painted over Thursday morning and graffitied that afternoon.

Mr Williamson said the council had “recently undertaken community engagement training and (had) adopted a corporate plan that focuses us, as a council, on our desire to truly connect with our community”.

“I had hoped that (Wednesday’s) debate would be based on our desire as a council to interact with our community, rather than a debate around process and an interpretation of artwork,” he said.

The process requires applications to be lodged and considered at a committee level to approve or reject a project.

The Camilleri Street Skate Park mural, a community-funded project, was completed without approval.

“I think they (the community) will be very disappointed in council’s decision today to paint over what has already been done, made by donated funds by the community, donated time by the artist,” Mrs May said earlier this month.

“We have to be flexible and there is always going to be times where you need to go against the officer’s recommendation or you need to go against a policy.

“In this particular circumstance, there was extraordinary circumstances that would warrant us to go against the policy.”

The council opened the park in 2019.

An application for the art’s approval was lodged after it was completed but was rejected at a subsequent meeting.

Council acting CEO Angela Hays said she had recommended the artwork be approved.

Mr Bella spoke strongly against it.

Earlier this month, Mr Bella said while the application stated it was not a memorial, the fact the community accepted it as one was “inescapable”, and a memorial at the skate park would go against council policy.

While other councillors would call for compassion for Will’s family and friends, Mr Bella asked for compassion to be shown to everyone involved in the incident.

“Who bothered to ring the driver of the bus?” Mr Bella said.

“This was not a single-faceted accident, this was an accident that involved two other people.”

“One of whom went to work and through no fault of their own was involved in this accident, the other who went for recreation, was in the same vehicle and was involved through no fault of their own.

“People whose lives through no fault of their own impacted in a hideous way and may well deal with this for the rest of their lives.”