Sexism furore continues at City Hall, but no apology from Quirk

Labor councillors have been told to “grow a pair” in debate in Brisbane City Hall, prompting further complaints of sexist behaviour.

Cr Kara Cook says women should not be faced with “smug sexist attacks” and “mocked for doing their job”. Picture: Jono Searle.

Labor councillors have been told to “grow a pair” in debate in Brisbane City Hall, prompting further complaints of sexist behaviour.

The comments were a crude rebuke from City Planning chairman Matthew Bourke directed at Opposition Leader Peter Cumming on Labor’s stance on provision of aged care facilities.

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However they followed complaints last year from Independent Councillor Nicole Johnstone of being referred to as a witch by LNP Councillor David McLachlan and being catty by Lord Mayor Graham Quirk who made clawing gestures at her for which he apologised.

Labor’s only female councillor Kara Cook said the latest comment was “clearly a sexist statement that showed Councillor Bourke believed only people with testicles could show courage, and that all women, by their very nature, are weak”.

Cr Cook called on Cr Quirk to publicly reprimand Cr Bourke.

This time Cr Quirk was unapologetic, rejecting the claims, despite the latest comment being publicly available in a transcript of last week’s council meeting.

A spokeswoman for the Lord Mayor said Cr Bourke’s comments were directed to Cr Cumming in relation to his indecision about the future of Brisbane’s ageing population and accused Cr Cook of “playing politics”.

“It’s disappointing Cr Cook has chosen to take these comments out of context,” she said.

“If councillors are offended by comments made in the Council Chamber, there is an opportunity for these concerns to be raised during the meeting and ask for the comments to be withdrawn.

“Instead, Cr Cook has chosen to wait seven days to raise her concerns and play politics when she knows the comments were about Cr Cumming’s indecision about the future of our ageing population.”

Cr Cook condemned the actions of Cr Quirk and LNP councillors for not calling out or taking actions to stop sexist remarks in the Council Chamber and committee meetings.

“We need to immediately stamp out the sexist behaviour in this place by LNP councillors and the LNP Lord Mayor,” she said.

“I have spent 10 years working as a lawyer in an adversarial environment, I thought I had seen the worst in people’s behaviour and nothing could shock me. But nothing prepared me for the workplace sexism I’ve witnessed in my 12 months in this LNP dominated council.

“Telling Councillors to “grow a pair”, clawing hand gestures, crude allusions to the witches in

Macbeth, apologies that descend into victim blaming or as we have seen here, outright rejection from the LNP Lord Mayor of what is happening right in front of his face almost every time we enter this place … welcome to the everyday sexism that greets some of the female councillors and BCC employees in this place.”

Cr Cook said the repeated sexist slurs had come directly from the top, from the Lord Mayor and LNP chairmen Cr Bourke and Cr McLachlan.

“For some reason the LNP seem to think they are immune from the anti-bullying and anti-harassment world we all now walk in,” she said.

“What leaders say and do matters. It has a trickle-down effect not only within their own organisations but to the culture and norms within our society. It’s not acceptable and must change.

“We must continue to call out this behaviour. Women should not be faced with smug sexist attacks and mocked for doing their job.”