Cumberland Mayor Steve Christou’s Australia Day coronavirus comments slammed

A western Sydney mayor who has lashed out at councils for scrapping Australia Day events has been labelled ‘tacky and infantile’ over his comments.

Scrapping Australia Day over COVID-19 fears is not acceptable, the Cumberland Mayor says.

A western Sydney council at the heart of a recent COVID-19 outbreak will continue to host Australia Day activities — a move that Mayor Steve Christou vehemently defended despite the backlash his comments about cancelling events have attracted.

The Berala coronavirus cluster, which has grown to 26, will not deter Cumberland Council from hosting its Australia Day celebration at Holroyd Gardens, Merrylands, despite the community being a COVID-19 hotspot.

In media reports on Saturday, Mayor Steve Christou labelled people who cancelled such events “bedwetters”.

Cumberland Mayor Steve Christou has been scathing of councils that have cancelled community events. Picture: John Appleyard

“The reality is COVID-19 has now been around for more than a year,’’ he said.

“There comes a point where you can’t keep cancelling everything; we have to accept for the foreseeable future COVID is going to be around.’’

His comments come as the Berala COVID-19 cluster grows to 26 after three locally-acquired cases were acquired in NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday night.

The three positive cases involve a family with two adults and a child who picked up the virus on December 27 and are close contacts of a previously reported case.

Eight cases were also recorded in returned travellers, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 4829.

At Parramatta Council, cancelling this year’s event was inevitable with several performers including The Veronicas, Jon Stevens and Powderfinger’s David Middleton having to travel from interstate for the event.

The Veronicas will no longer perform at Parramatta on Australia Day.

Parramatta Lord Mayor Bob Dwyer said the restrictions would mean a severe limit on who could attend the events, which would be “incredibly disappointing”.

“It just got entangled,’’ he said.

“We don’t know if we’d start a cluster there — it’s too much trouble. We have to err on the side of caution.

“If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s to be more adaptable and flexible in everything we do.’’

Cr Dwyer joked that he was the Terminator after having to cancel last year’s Australia Day celebrations because of the bushfires, and said Cr Christou could elect to continue Cumberland festivities but Parramatta was “a bigger city and too much of a risk for us’’.

“I think he’s an independent now and he’s obviously trying to keep his name in front of people.’’

The council also postponed its Summer Nights series, which included Australia Day concerts, as a precaution.

The debut event was due to feature music performances, an open-air cinema and rooftop roller-skating and run from January 7 to January 26, when citizenship ceremonies will be conducted online.

Granville state Labor MP Julia Finn has blasted Steve Christou’s comments. Picture: Angelo Velardo

But Cr Christou’s comments prompted Granville state Labor MP Julia Finn to lash out and slammed him for “picking fights”.

“Why he’s having a go at every other mayor on earth I don’t know. We’re all stopping people from dying,’’ she said.

“Parramatta has the largest Australia Day celebrations in NSW and I’m sure it’s not a decision Bob Dwyer has taken lightly.

“Despite our political differences about lots of things, I respect Bob and I think calling him and other mayors who want to postpone Australia Day bedwetters, is really tacky and infantile.

“I hope other Cumberland Australia Day activities goes ahead without causing any problems at all.

“I’m glad they’re still going ahead but they should be prepared to pull out if the need arises.’’

No Australia Day activities such as the morning hot air balloon rides at Parramatta Park will go ahead in Parramatta.

Cr Christou defended his comments and insisted that going to an outdoor event capped at 500 people would be no different to going to Westfield or a day at the cricket, despite Cumberland being a hotspot.

He defended the bedwetters comments, saying “it’s not like council events teams had much to do in the past year, sitting around doing nothing because there’s been no events’’ so they could plan the events to be COVID-safe.

He criticised Ms Finn for not concentrating on state issues and the Labor Party targeting him since he quit the Labor Party in September 2019.

Ms Finn said the event was a state issue given the NSW Health Department had to approve or reject such events.

“Whether or not Australia Day happens and whether or not the Department of Health gives them permission, it’s a state issue,’’ she said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday confirmed Australia Day celebrations, like other major events, would be particularly important this year.

“I think we’ve demonstrated as a state and as a nation that those important milestones can, should and will be recognised but it’s doing it in a COVID-safe way,’’ she said.

“I would encourage everybody to recognise Australia Day for the significance that it has and I think this year has greater significance because we’ve all been through a very difficult year.

“I think we’ve feeling closer to each other than ever before and also feeling proud of the nation we live in. When you you at other places around the world and the angst and real difficult times that other nations are going through. I think we should be feeling prouder than ever of being Australian and I think it’s appropriate to mark that day in a COVID-safe way.’’

The Citizen of the Year, Community Pride awards and the citizenship ceremonies will precede the Holroyd Gardens celebrations which include a twilight cinema, fireworks, food, music and a fireworks display between 6pm and 9pm.

The event will include compulsory registration and include hand sanitisers.

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