Councillor walks out, reveals plans to boycott meetings

"I WRESTLED with my conscious on this and I simply can't participate in a process that denies those absent councillors their right".

About 40 animal rights activists protesting against greyhound racing at Lismore City Council's extraordinary meeting on Tuesday, January 9. Picture: Claudia Jambor

A COUNCILLOR announced she would boycott future extraordinary meetings in a dramatic end to Lismore City Council's short-lived controversial meeting.

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Elly Bird opposed debating the four rescission motions about the Lismore Square expansion, additional greyhound racing, the ski jump facility as well as the business special rate variation without those councillors who put forward the motions.

Councillors Nancy Casson, Eddie Lloyd, Adam Guise and Vanessa Ekins are on leave for the summer holidays. Councillor Greg Bennett sent his apologies for his absence.

After a brief statement to the chamber, Cr Bird absented herself from the extraordinary meeting of six councillors.

"I firmly believe the four rescission motions before us this evening shouldn't be debated in the absence of every single councillor who has participated in bringing those motions before council," Cr Bird said.

"Therefore I am going to be absenting myself from the chamber for the discussion of those rescission meetings and I will be doing that for any other extraordinary meetings that are called without more councillors in the room so we can debate these issues fairly to those councillors and fairly to our community.

"I wrestled with my conscious on this and I simply can't participate in a process that denies those absent councillors their right to debate these significant issues regardless of the outcomes of those rescissions."

A roar of applause from the gallery greeted Cr Bird's speech to the chamber as she picked up her bag and left.

Animal rights activist, Heather Dunn commended Cr Bird's decision and said it was an act of fighting for a fairer process.

Ms Dunn was joined by about 40 animal rights protesters at the meeting with signs against the council's decision for additional greyhound racing.

Mayor Isaac Smith then adjoined the meeting just 40 minutes after it began.

The majority of the meeting was taken up by public access with three speakers opposing additional greyhound racing as well as the business rate variation, Lismore Square and the ski jump.

Cr Bird's move to absent herself from the meeting coincided with a call to do so from Lismore resident, Peter Bellew during public access.

Councillors voted unanimously in favour of one rescission motion to address 20 agenda items held over from the December meeting.

It was agreed the council would meet to debate those issues on February 5.