Facebook F-bomb: Gold Coast councillor Peter Young calls resident a ‘wanker’ after copping spray on social media

A Gold Coast councillor has broken down in the chambers as he said sorry for telling an abusive social media troll to “f*** off”.

A councillor tells a social media keyboard warrior to “f*** off mate” after being called a “liar” and “pathetic joke”. He is found guilty of “inappropriate behaviour”.

This expensive ratepayer-funded investigation is bull**** – isn’t it?

In November last year, Mayor Tom Tate received screen shots of the comments made by Nerang-Pacific Pines divisional councillor Peter Young.

Gold Coast City Council councillor Peter Young speaks in the chambers. Picture: Gold Coast City Council

The complainant wrote: “You either do something about this unprofessionalism or I will contact every media company on the Gold Coast. I don’t pay rates for this type of rubbish.”

Under the Local Government Act, the Mayor must alert the Office of the independent Assessor.

He removed himself from the investigation.

The OIA appointed Deputy Mayor Donna Gates as “the investigator” and on Tuesday at full council a majority of colleagues found Cr Young had acted inappropriately.

There is a much bigger story here, because:

* Councillors wanted this resolved quickly, rightly uncomfortable about judging a colleague.

* The complainant remains anonymous – never questioned, scrutinised about their behaviour.

* Councillors are dealing daily with abuse on Facebook. It’s taking a toll on mental health.

* The laws allow for appalling double standards; MPs do not face similar scrutiny.

Councillor Peter Young. Picture: Jerad Williams

* The laws should be about enabling the OIA to turn their focus to investigating councillors for misconduct, where they breach trust, or corrupt conduct involving fraud or theft.

In one of several complaints, Mayor Tate was investigated for a comment he made at a media conference about complainants. He said: “I don’t know what they are smoking”.

These matters cost ratepayers up to $200,000.

Yet in an “accidental slip of the tongue” at a Labour Day rally, Deputy Premier Steven Miles called then Prime Minister Scott Morrison the C-word and escaped any conduct investigation.

This week, Cr Young made an apology to Cr Gates and colleagues without being asked (see the video).

The complainant had refused mediation. His reply to Cr Young on Facebook messenger? “Ha ha great response really professional f***ing muppet.”

Gold Coast City Council councillor Peter Young speaks in the chambers. Picture: Gold Coast City Council

This was all sparked by Cr Young joining a Facebook post to update residents and correct misinformation about an alleged council-backed methadone clinic. The complainant, who owns a property nearby the state-approved health business, had private messaged him.

At full council, Cr Young said: “I was highly offended. I look back upon it now and think it’s a complete nothing. But at that particular point in time my blood boiled, I just couldn’t control myself, and I reacted. And I regret that.

“I can’t apologise to that person because I believe he really offended me, he chose to deliberately offend me, and I reacted, and I apologise to you for that reaction.”

No Code of Conduct exists for residents. There should be, or just allow councillors to block them on social media. Otherwise, defamatory comments by some will continue daily.

The council debate touched on how we all, in different situations, use language appropriate to that particular place.

A councillor admitted speaking differently while playing basketball, to at an official function.

Here’s the thing – social media for councillors (and journalists) has its “political players”.

In your professional life, an enemy on Facebook can bring the fire of the football field to you. The only way to respond, to make them understand, is to talk in their language, call a spade a spade and in this case the bloke was acting like a “wanker”.

Peter Young should be applauded for his honesty.

Councillor: ‘You can f*** off mate’

June 14: A Gold Coast city councillor told a social media keyboard warrior to “f*** off mate” after he was called a “liar” and “pathetic joke”.

Councillor Peter Young also wrote: “I’m not lying about anything. Wanker.”

Abusive message on social media to Councillor Peter Young.

The resident got under the councillor’s skin on November 12 last year by writing: “We teach our kids not to lie yet politicians and councillors lie out of their teeth. You are a pathetic joke.”

The dispute occurred after Cr Young updated residents on social media about a health clinic. The property owner vented about the likelihood of methadone users being in his suburb.

Councillors will be asked to vote at a full council meeting on Tuesday on a recommendation that Cr Young had engaged in inappropriate conduct.

The recommendation is Cr Young made the public admission that he acted inappropriately.

Councillors could have banned Cr Young from a future meeting, fined him or asked him to attend training or counselling. Instead, the recommendation is an acknowledgment by him that his behaviour was out of line.

A complaint about the Facebook exchange was made to the Officer of the independent Assessor on November 16 last year. It was handed back to the council’s then acting CEO before “the investigator”, Deputy Mayor Donna Gates, considered all the relevant facts.

Cr Gates wrote to both parties seeking “alternative dispute resolution” as the appropriate way to resolve the complaint. The complainant declined the offer.

Cr Peter Young in front of protesters against the filling of Black Swan Lake at Bundall. Picture: Mike Batterham

Documents show Cr Young had made a Facebook post in response to a person’s post which claimed that a medical centre on Mortensen Road at Nerang was a “methadone clinic”.

He said he had no knowledge of this and whatever health services were provided there was a matter for the state government.

The complainant first responded by writing that “meth heads” were being treated with respect while Australia was the ice capital of the world.

“Just remember soon you will need to be re-elected and at this rate of your lying I doubt many of us who own property’s (sic) in these areas will be voting for other people,” the complainant wrote.

Cr Young’s lawyers said the complainant’s Facebook account was private, the message sent was “highly offensive and abusive”, which prompted Cr Young’s angry response.

The complaint responded to Cr Young’s remark by writing: “Haha great response really professional f***ing muppet.” Cr Young did not respond and blocked the complainant.

“It is submitted that this essentially involves an exchange between two private individuals and therefore not communications which fall within the ambit of the Local Government Code of Conduct. It certainly does not warrant the council’s intervention,” Cr Young’s lawyers said.

Councillor Peter Young during a meeting. Picture: Richard Gosling

Cr Young wrote to councillors: “I am a long-serving councillor and I enjoy a pretty healthy relationship with the community I serve. Unfortunately, and it is a fact that I have not denied (the complainant’s) abusive personal message really made my blood boil and I reacted badly.

“I think it is an awkward and unenviable situation where councillors are asked to judge their colleagues on the basis of complaints from people who have obviously displayed a complete lack of courtesy.”

Cr Young said he believed the resident had deliberately tried to confront him and “there is nothing in the legislation which protects us from this abuse”.

“We are supposed to accept and move on as if nothing has happened,” he wrote.

Cr Young said he believed it was open to council to determine that the complaint was not sustained.

Cr Young in the chamber on Tuesday afternoon at a full council meeting at first was too emotional to address colleagues, left the room and then returned to offer an apology where he admitted he was highly offended by the resident’s remark.

“I look back upon it now I think it’s just a complete nothing. But at the moment in that particular point in time it made my blood boil. I could not control myself and I reacted. And I regret that. And I’m sorry to you (Cr Gates) for the role that you’ve had to play. I apologise to all the councillors for the fact that this consumed time and resources,” Cr Young said.

A super majority of councillors supported a recommendation that there had been inappropriate conduct, but did not require any action against Cr Young.