Willoughby Council passes motion advocating marriage equality despite protests from some councillors and gallery

It was a fiery Willoughby Council meeting on Tuesday as councillors exchanged barbs on the subject of marriage equality.

Crs Rachel Hill and Hugh Eriksson are tabled a motion in supportof Same Sex Mariage at Tuesday’s meeting.

One councillor dubbed it a “black mark”, and another said it defied “nature’s law” but that did not stop Willoughby Council passing a motion supporting marriage equality on Tuesday evening.

The joint notice of motion tabled by Cr Rachel Hill and Hugh Eriksson, which involves lobbying Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for a change to the marriage act, passed seven votes to four.

Councillors Tony Mustaca, Judith Rutherford, Mandy Stevens and Angelo Rozos unsuccessfully rallied against the motion — with all four leaving the chambers after the decision, despite a near full agenda still before Council.

Cr Mustaca, who branded the motion as political correctness, said he was “deeply offended” on his way out of the chamber.

Tony Mustaca.

He was one of the most vocal critics, saying marriage equality was against “nature’s law” and “would result in disaster” after he withdrew his support for Cr Wendy Norton’s amendment to include community consultation, believing a plebiscite would be the only way to “hear from the real people.”

Cr Angelo Rozos said he never thought in his “wildest dreams” that he would be debating marriage equality at Council, before saying if the vote passed, it would be a “black mark”.

Angelo Rozos. Picture: ELENOR TEDENBORG

These comments came after several public speakers on the motion.

Senior minister Tim Swan spoke against the motion, with the reasoning that “God knows best”, while Reverend Daniel Lim said Council was attempting to cross the line between church and state.

Artarmon resident Trent Gardiner spoke in favour of the motion saying marriage was a human right, not a “heterosexual privilege” while Thomas Shanahan and Fiona Matthew also voiced their approval.

Speaking after the meeting Cr Rachel Hill said she felt “ecstatic and relieved” the motion was realised but was still left a bit shocked after some of the debate.

“We were really thrilled; we believe in the motion and we believe what we were doing was right,” she said.

Crs Rachel Hill and Hugh Eriksson are tabled a motion in supportof Same Sex Mariage on Tuesday.

“We were still slightly stunned by some of the views of those in Council and I think that we were probably a little naive in some respects because we saw it as a symbolic motion. Some of the heat in debate was probably not what we were hoping to draw out of people.”

Cr Eriksson stood by his motion on Tuesday evening.

However it could prove to be the start of a saga as murmurs emerged from Willoughby on Wednesday that a rescission motion could be tabled at Council’s June 26 meeting.