Tate apologises for ‘ranga’ comments after complaint referred to council for investigation

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has formally apologised for jokingly calling a fellow councillor a “ranga”, potentially heading off a full-blown investigation.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has formally apologised for jokingly calling a fellow councillor a “ranga”, potentially heading off a full-blown investigation.

Cr Tate earned the ire of the state’s council watchdog over light-hearted comments he made at a media conference earlier this year.

He was being asked his views on a Facebook post by Surfers Paradise MP John-Paul Langbroek who welcomed new councillor and close friend Joe Wilkinson by describing him as “ranga”, with the hashtags “#diversity” and “#multiculturalism”.

The mayor responded by saying he “didn’t even know he (Cr Wilkinson) was a ranga” but it was good for the Coast’s “diversity”.

Cr Tate said former councillor William Owen-Jones had retired and “he was a ranga”.

“You know, lose one ranga, get another ranga. What the hell. That’s what the Gold Coast is all about,” he told journalists at the time.

Cr Joe Wilkinson and Mayor Tom Tate. Picture: Glenn Campbell

It led to a formal complaint to Office of the Independent Assessor which assessed the matter and determined Cr Tate may have contravened standards of behaviour requiring councillors to “treat people in a reasonable, just, respectful and non-discriminatory way”, to “treat fellow councillors, local government employees and members of the public with courtesy, honesty and fairness” and “have proper regard for other people’s rights, obligations, cultural differences, safety, health and welfare”.

“While the conduct may well be argued to be in jest or intended to be humorous, it was considered in assessing this matter that the term (ranga) was still capable of being discriminatory and unreasonably causing offence to particular groups,” the OIA said in its determination.

“The complaint raised various concerns about the use of the term “ranga” by the mayor, including its references to orangutans.

“The complaint also made reference to other similar terms often used which are also associated with ‘discriminatory feelings’ and how others in the public eye have been dealt with as a result.

“The complaint referred to the mayor’s behaviour as ‘not funny’ and ‘extremely derogatory’.”

The OIA noted it was “not the first time” Mayor Tate had made comments in the media that were “considered discriminatory to others”.

It said it had referred a complaint to the council in 2021 after Cr Tate said: “You wouldn’t want to put a Chinese (person) next to someone who’s got a cat, you know. She might be breakfast.”

William Owen-Jones had laughed off the controversy. Picture: Glenn Hampson

The OIA noted Cr Tate had apologised for that comment as a “poor joke” and the matter was discontinued, but “the nature of such comments make it particularly relevant for Mayor Tate’s fellow councillors to consider and decide if the commentary is in line with the community’s expectations for an elected official”.

The OIA referred the “ranga” complaint to the council to investigate. If found guilty, Cr Tate could have faced a range of sanctions including having to issue another public apology or be issued with a misconduct warning.

He had vowed to defend the complaint, telling The Courier-Mail last week that he was “disappointed that the OIA has seen fit to have this matter further investigated”.

“When I went to school, people with red hair were called ‘Blue’ and sometimes particularly tall people were called ‘Stretch’,” he said.

“With my Asian heritage, I was often called more colourful things. I had no idea that the term ‘ranga’ was offensive to some people and I certainly did not intend to cause any offence. In using the term, I was actually responding to a direct question from a journalist.”

Cr Tate said he respected the OIA’s role but questioned the use of taxpayer and ratepayer-funded resources to investigate such “time-consuming and costly” complaints.

“I will be defending the allegation that I have committed a conduct breach and I am seeking (legal) advice in that regard,” he said.

But at Tuesday’s council meeting, Cr Tate delivered a mea culpa.

He said he acknowledged the term “ranga … may be derogatory and offensive and I offer my apology to anyone offended by my recent comments”.

Cr Wilkinson had laughed off the controversy, saying he was a “proud ranga”.

An OIA spokesman said more than 40 per cent of all complaints received last financial year were assessed as a potential conduct breach, with 90 per cent of those dismissed immediately.

“The OIA is conscious of the impact on local governments in referring matters to them to determine,” he said.

“In terms of the complaint about Mayor Tate, the matter was referred back to the council for a decision for a number of reasons including that Mayor Tate had previously made similar comments.

“The OIA takes an educative approach to the handling of complaints with only 18 complaints referred back to local governments to determine an outcome last financial year. “In the same period the OIA issued 24 recommendations to councillors in an attempt to have them consider their behaviour and take steps to ensure it was not repeated. This approach ensures complaints are handled swiftly, minimising both state and local government resources.”