Mackay councillors receive death threats over controversial mural vote

Community anger at a skate park mural’s removal has descended into viral threats and abuse hurled at councillors after a controversial decision. One councillor reveals what she has endured.

Mackay councillors have received death threats and vile abuse in the wake of a controversial skate park mural being painted over.

Eight councillors who voted not to send a decision on the Camilleri Street Skate Park mural back to public consultation have been inundated with phone calls and messages, threatening them.

Some of the messages, seen by this publication, include the sender telling the councillor they should be set on fire among a litany of vulgar abuse.

Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson said the abuse was “simply not on”, and a “line in the sand” needed to be drawn on the issue.

“There’s been a huge emotional outpouring from the community and some of that has been translated into very offensive and threatening texts and emails to councillors,” he said.

Mr Williamson said he empathised with the councillors who had received “threats to life” and “all manner of just terrible language that no elected member has to put up with”.

“All the elected members are here to do the right thing by the community in their view,” he said.

“That’s democracy in action.”

In the vote last Wednesday, Mr Williamson, Deputy Mayor Karen May and councillor Michelle Green were the sole supporters of public consultation.

Councillors Martin Bella, Belinda Hassan, Fran Mann, Alison Jones, Pauline Townsend, Justin Englert, Russell Seymour and Laurence Bonaventura were the eight who voted not to send the final decision back to community consultation.

The artwork was painted over Thursday morning, and the blank blue wall targeted with graffiti by that afternoon.

Mr Williamson said the “derogatory” sign that had appeared at the skate park had since been taken away.

Mr Williamson said the community needed to honour the democratic decisions of council and treat its members with respect.

“Sometimes we don’t get it right.

“But that’s not a cause for the community to start piling on.”

When asked about the anger from young people in particular, Mr Williamson said youth voices would play a part in further community consultation.

“It’s important that the young people that particularly feel offended around this (to) get a voice,” he said.

“We have a very good youth development team and a very good community consultative team, and they’ll lead that process.

“We’ve just been the only council in Australia to endorse a Young Mayor’s program.

“We’ve got some official programs in place that actually get young voices onto the table.”

Controversy has surrounded the mural since the teenager’s tragic death and only grown since artist Anita Laura painted the artwork before receiving council approval.

Mr Williamson said the council welcomed renewed community efforts to reinstate a mural through proper channels.

“We’re asking for whatever community group around that skate park to actually make the approach to council and follow our policy,” he said.

“We have a public art procedure, and that’s what we’re asking for this time around.

“Line in the sand.

“Let’s start this process again.”

Councillor’s experience with vile abuse

One of the councillors who voted against putting back to community consultation the future of a mural at Camilleri Street Skate Park has opened up about the threats and abuse she experienced.

Councillor Belinda Hassan said she received “increasingly abusing” emails, text messages, and phone calls following the decision last Wednesday.

“Someone just called me some pretty vile names that I wouldn’t even repeat,” she said.

“Some starting with a C and ending with T, you can work out what that is.”

She said the messages started on Thursday when the mural was painted over and on Friday when Mayor Greg Williamson posted about the decision on his Facebook page.

“(The messages were) Telling us to set ourselves on fire, to take our own lives, basically that we’re not fit to be on council,” she said.

“Threatening to throw paint and eggs at councillors at a public event that’s being held this week if we turn up.

“One of the other councillors who received a message that was worse than what I received has gone to the police.

“And I believe another one has gone to the police today with some details that was a public threat of assault that was made on the Mayor’s Facebook post.”

Ms Hassan said while she had not yet formally reported any abuse, she had spoken with police and would “absolutely” report trolls if the abuse continued.

“I’ve kept everything as evidence if I need it,” she said.

“Most people that have engaged are cowards.

“(They) ring you and hang up.”

She said she had largely ignored the “really abusive ones”, but otherwise tried to respond politely to the public’s concerns.

“I just responded professionally to each one and said if you’d like to actually engage, I’m happy to meet with you or call you,” she said.

“One guy actually did apologise and then listened to what I have to say.”

Ms Hassan said there would always be people who were upset with the decisions of council, but called for civility when disagreeing.

“At any level of government, you know you cannot please all the people all the time,” she said.

“I am more than happy to be disagreed with.

“I am never going to get it right every single time.

“But engage respectfully and rationally.

“Ring me, I’ll meet with people and explain why I made the decision that I made, but I stand by my decision.”