One Nation MP Sarah Game proposes law changes after city councillor Henry Davis booted from meeting
An Adelaide City councillor has joined forces with One Nation, claiming they need to strip the Lord Mayor of “dictatorial power” after he was booted from a meeting. Watch the video.
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A city councillor has joined forces with a One Nation MP in a bid to strip Adelaide’s Lord Mayor of what they call “dictatorial power” – but she’s fired back, reminding them “facts are important”.
In state parliament on Wednesday, Sarah Game submitted a proposal to “restore democracy” by amending Section 75G the Local Government Act, which she said would remove the potential for councils to silence their elected members.
In November, Adelaide City councillor Henry Davis was removed from a meeting under the Act’s health and safety protocols during a debate over CBD parking spots, later calling the council “out of touch”.
Ms Game said the changes would “ensure councillors can speak up and speak out without fear … (of) having their constituents’ voices silenced”.
“Using his allocated three minutes of speaking time, Cr Davis attempted to outline the concerns small-business operators had about the impact of increased parking restrictions and the loss of parking spaces across the Adelaide CBD,” she told the Legislative Council.
“How the following few minutes played out was extraordinary, and deeply concerning.
“Clearly, Adelaide City Council Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith has a deep-seated resentment of Cr Davis, who was attempting to speak about his interactions with CBD traders. (This) ultimately led to Cr Davis being forced to leave the chamber, unable to complete his response.
“The changes I have drafted would help prevent this dictatorial power from being exercised and shift responsibility for these decisions to an independent body.”
Dr Lomax-Smith told The Advertiser that section of the Act “does not work like that”.
“It’s ironic that Sarah Game MLC proposes to fix democracy by interfering in it at a local level – and worse – ignoring the decisions of democratically elected councillors,” she said.
“I am surprised Ms Game thinks that a councillor might have been excluded from a meeting by a mayor in the manner she suggests, because Section 75G of the Local Government Act does not work like that. In our democracy, facts are important.”
Mr Davis’ bitter feud with Dr Lomax-Smith erupted in December last year when he dressed in a wig and pearls to launch a satirical attack on the city leader.
In a video, he critiqued a proposed citywide 30km/h speed limit – which he previously labelled as “absolute madness”.
In June last year, Mr Davis – who has flagged a run for the Liberals to the Senate – was issued with a concerns notice by Dr Lomax-Smith’s lawyers after they claimed he “again seriously defamed” their client during a council meeting in which he called her a “liar”.
On Wednesday, Ms Game said her proposal was about “freedom of speech” and aimed to stop councils being “dominated by mayors”.
“At a time when the South Australian public’s perception of councils has dipped to a low mark, we need to be seen to ensuring democracy is still alive at this grassroots level of government,” she said.
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