Police remove Brisbane City councillor Nicole Johnston from City Hall

POLICE were called to remove rogue councillor Nicole Johnston from City Hall today after she was suspended but refused to leave.

It is not the first time Cr Nicole Johnston has been ejected from City Hall by police. She is pictured here receiving the same treatment on March 29, 2011.

POLICE were called to remove rogue councillor Nicole Johnston from City Hall today after she was suspended but refused to leave.

It is not the first time police have been called to remove the independent councillor for Tennyson ward.

Today was her first day back in the chamber after a previous eight-day suspension that prevented her being present when the Lord Mayor handed down his Budget last Wednesday.

The council was debating the 2017/18 Budget.

A Brisbane City Council media statement said Cr Johnston refused to leave the chamber after being directed to for “repeated disorderly conduct”.

The statement said after repeated requests to leave from a senior governance officer the council “had no choice but to seek the assistance of the QPS”.

Cr Johnston left as soon as officers arrived and the meeting continued after a 40 minute delay.

It came after an earlier altercation between Cr Owen and Cr Johnston, which caused debate to be suspended for 20 minutes.

Greens Councillor Jonathan Sri (The Gabba) said Brisbane City Council chairwoman Angela Owen rebuked Cr Johnston for speaking on the Dutton Park Fairfield Neighbourhood Plan as not relevant to the Budget debate.

He said Cr Johnston took issue with this as LNP councillors had been allowed to speak on neighbourhood plans in their wards.

“She was calling out, then they tried to kick her out and she refused to leave and then they called police,” he said.

Cr Johnston did not immediately respond to emails, text messages or phone calls but tweeted her frustrations.

Ejected for 8 days for mentioning the Fairfield NHP. Cr Howard talked abt Spring Hill & Newstead but I'm not allowed to mention any? #bias

— Nicole Johnston (@CrNicJ) June 22, 2017

summary the of the day not allowed to move an amendment on drainage and lights and ejected for mentioning NHP. Appalling bullying & bias

— Nicole Johnston (@CrNicJ) June 22, 2017

“Ejected for 8 days for mentioning the Fairfield NHP. Cr Howard talked abt (sic) Spring Hill & Newstead but I’m not allowed to mention any?” she tweeted.

“Summary the of the day not allowed to move an amendment on drainage and lights and ejected for mentioning NHP (neighbourhood plan). Appalling bullying & bias.”

Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner said Cr Johnston’s behaviour had been bizarre and inexplicable, and she had repeatedly disrupted the proceedings of Council.

“Cr Johnston is by no means a shrinking violet and always gives as good as she gets during debate,” Cr Schrinner said.

He said her “deliberately disruptive” behaviour undermined the democratic process and prevented all other councillors from debating the Budget.

Cr Sri filed a formal complaint to the council’s chief executive officer Colin Jensen where he alleged Cr Johnston was being bullied.

“In my view, the overall pattern of behaviour exhibited towards Councillor Johnston clearly constitutes workplace bullying,” he wrote.

The complaint also alleged Brisbane City Council chairwoman Angela Owen was biased in her decisions, exacerbating the problem.

He told Quest Community News the way other councillors treated Cr Johnston bordered on “abusive” in some situations.

A Brisbane City Council media spokesman confirmed a complaint has been received by the CEO of Council.

Opposition leader ALP councillor Peter Cumming said: “There is fault on both sides of the argument.”

“Brisbane residents expect us to focus on debating the $3 billion Budget and that’s what Labor councillors are doing.”

Cr Schrinner said Cr Cumming had previously criticised the chairwoman for failing to eject Cr Johnston when she was disruptive.