Brisbane City Council chairwoman promises change after behaviour in chamber called into question

BRISBANE City Council’s chairwoman has announced she will not attend party room meetings for the duration of her tenure in the role to “eliminate any inference of bias”, as the council’s chief executive officer asked all councillors to monitor their behaviour.

Brisbane City Council chairwoman Angela Owen. Picture: Peter Cronin

BRISBANE City Council’s chairwoman has announced she will not attend party room meetings for the duration of her tenure in the role to “eliminate any inference of bias”.

Councillor Angela Owen made the commitment in a surprising opening statement for the first meeting of the council’s second sitting session of the year.

At the end of the previous session, opposition leader Peter Cumming wrote to the council’s chief executive officer Colin Jensen to complain of “Cr Owen’s consistently biased rulings”.

He also alleged “Cr Owen shut down general business while Cr (Nicole) Johnston was in mid-speech and with three Labor councillors awaiting their turn to speak” during the March 20 meeting.

Cr Owen has consistently refuted claims of bias.

In a letter to all councillors on Monday, Mr Jensen said he had received communication from “across the political spectrum” regarding the standard of behaviour during council meetings.

He wrote it was not for the CEO nor Council to regulate councillors behaviour in meetings or restrict political debate but urged the politicians to monitor their own actions.

“Unmitigated unruly and abusive behaviour is not only counter-productive in terms of the conduct of council’s business but has the potential to affect the health and safety of others present in the Council Chamber as well as tarnish the good reputation of Council.”

Councillor Peter Cumming. Picture: Peter Cronin

In her speech the following day Cr Owen said the “professional standard in the last session of council was disappointing” and the Chamber was a place of political debate but also decorum.

She promised to allow “broader interpretation of relevance of content during debate” to provide opportunity for “a full range of political debate to occur”.

“I will be seeking a one hour adjournment at 7pm on sitting days if it is clear that further business remains,” she said.

“On a related matter it is my intention to ensure general business runs for as long as councillors wish to speak.

“The duration of the council meeting, be it pre or post 7pm, will be entirely up to you as councillors in the chamber.

“To eliminate any inference of bias in my role, I can advise the chamber that I will not be attending party room meetings for the duration of my tenure as chairman of council.”

Councillor Nicole Johnston (Tennyson). Picture: Peter Cronin

Opposition leader Peter Cumming said although he welcomed the commitments, he was not optimistic Cr Owen would uphold them in the long term.

“I thought it would be like water off a duck’s back, I was a bit surprised she came up with what she did,” he said.

“Given past history, I don’t think it will be long-lasting.

“I think she’s under some pressure from the CEO’s letter and also perhaps from her own party room to improve her act but we’ll see.”

Cr Nicole Johnston (Tennyson) said she had “no confidence” that Cr Owen would be able to conduct the meetings as she had promised.

“Cr Owen’s announcement at the beginning of the meeting was really too little, too late ... My view is that she should go,” she said.

Cr Owen told Quest Community Newspapers: “I was very clear yesterday about how I will Chair the Council meetings in a fair and unbiased manner and I intend to uphold this.”