‘Slap in the face’: Northern Beaches set to vote on Gaza stance

As Sydney’s northern beaches prepare for a 25 per cent rate hike, councillors will debate an “immature” motion about a war being fought more than 14,000km away.

Ethan Hrnjak, 21, the Greens candidate for Mackellar at the 2025 federal election.

As residents on Sydney’s northern beaches prepare for a 25 per cent rate hike, councillors will on Tuesday night debate an “immature” motion about a war being fought more than 14,000km away.

The motion, brought forward by 21-year-old Greens councillor Ethan Hrnjak, calls for the council to endorse a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, boycott Israeli-linked companies, offer targeted support to Palestinian refugees on the beaches and formally commend activist groups aligned with the anti-Israel movement.

It will be debated the same night councillors vote on a 25.2 per cent rate rise, recently approved by the state’s pricing regulator IPART.

Mr Hrnjak has also organised a protest before the meeting at the Dee Why B-Line bus stop, just 100m from the council chambers.

“Considering we may be asking residents for an increase in rates, this meeting is the perfect time to put our community at ease that council is not complicit in this complex international issue,” Mr Hrnjak said.

Independent councillor Vincent De Luca slammed the motion as politically motivated and “an arrogant slap in the face” to struggling ratepayers.

Greens candidate for the 2024 Northern Beaches Council election, Ethan Hrnjak.

“This immature 21-year-old, whose highest experience is working at Kentucky Fried Chicken, is using the Northern Beaches Council to climb the Greens’ political ladder,” Cr De Luca said.

“While we’re debating Gaza, locals are about to be hit with a 25.2 per cent rate rise. It’s got nothing to do with the local community.”

Cr De Luca warned the move “sets a dangerous precedent” by dragging foreign affairs into local government.

Former Pittwater councillor Michael Gencher, who now runs the Northern Beaches Shadow Council - a group formed by former Liberals to scrutinise council decisions - went further, calling the proposal “a disgraceful stunt”.

“Councillor Ethan Hrnjak’s motion is nothing more than Greens propaganda dressed up as local governance,” Mr Gencher said.

“This is about vilifying Israel, whitewashing Hamas, and turning councils into platforms for activist rubbish.

“Clause by clause, the motion is built on misinformation. It calls for a ceasefire while ignoring Hamas, pretends council has a foreign policy role, and praises political activist groups masquerading as humanitarian initiatives.”

Vincent De Luca, an independent member of Northern Beaches Council. Picture: Supplied

“While residents face soaring bills and a cost-of-living crisis, council is being dragged into a Greens-led propaganda campaign that has no place in the chamber.”

Similar Greens-led motions have been tabled by councils in the Inner West, Randwick, Marrickville, Bayside and Canterbury-Bankstown.

Meanwhile, councillors will be asked to approve the council’s final budget, including the 25.2 per cent rate hike, which would generate $50m for the council over two years.

The increase follows a failed attempt earlier this year to push through a 39.6 per cent rise, which triggered protests and widespread community backlash.

The council said additional funds were needed to address infrastructure backlogs, maintain local assets and stabilise the budget after inflation, disaster costs and state funding cuts.