Lismore council pushes for crime advisory group to link with December safety forum
Lismore City Council narrowly voted 7-4 to replace the Social Justice Committee with plans for a Crime Prevention Advisory Group, despite warnings of the move being “tokenistic”.
Lismore City Council voted 7-4 on Tuesday at its November ordinary meeting to advance plans for a new dedicated community safety body, but only after significantly amending a controversial motion seeking to reinstate the defunct Social Justice and Crime Prevention Committee (SJCPC).
The resolution mandates that staff prepare a report on establishing a more flexible Crime Prevention Advisory Group by March 2026, linking the long-term planning directly to immediate community engagement efforts.
The original Notice of Motion, put forward by Councillor Harper Dalton-Earls, aimed to reinstate the SJCPC, which had been formally discontinued in April 2023, having not met since August 2019.
Cr Dalton-Earls insisted the reinstatement was necessary to show leadership amid “significant issues” facing the community, citing recent violent incidents and arguing the Council needed a mechanism to pursue crime “prevention”.
He noted this body would help meet recommendations under the national crime prevention framework.
Debate exposed deep divisions regarding the feasibility and effectiveness of Council involvement in tackling crime.
Proponents, including Cr Waters, argued the community is hurting and Council needs to “do something” collaboratively, linking social programmes and advocacy with local stakeholders.
Cr Rob, who moved the successful amendment to pivot to an Advisory Group, argued this model would be “more flexible and easier to maintain and manage”.
He expressed hope the group could help push necessary information “up the line to the State Government” regarding resource shortfalls.
The move faced sharp criticism over efficiency and resources.
Cr Gianpiero Battista worried about wasting staff time producing a costly report that would likely sit “on the shelf”.
Cr Gordon asserted the entire initiative risked being “tokenistic” because resolving core safety issues depends heavily on the under-resourced state police.
Furthermore, Cr Jasmine Knight-Smith acknowledged the committee’s “important legacy” but warned that without a clear structure and dedicated resourcing, the new group risks becoming “symbolic rather than impactful”.
The adopted resolution instructs staff to prepare a report detailing the proposed Advisory Group structure by March 2026.
Crucially, the group’s strategic plan must “take into account the findings” derived from the existing Council resolution to hold a separate open public consultation session on local crime concerns, which is roughly scheduled for the first week in December 2025.
The upcoming community safety forum is mandated as an open public consultation session to consider and identify solutions to local crime concerns.
The Council previously resolved that this meeting must invite crucial stakeholders, including Federal and State MPs, police, ambulance, hospital representatives, and local security firms.
The staff confirmed they are working to organise and facilitate the location and invite relevant parties to this December meeting.
The findings derived from this consultation session are crucial as they will be directly taken “into account” during the preparation of the new Crime Prevention Advisory Group structure
The motion was carried by a vote of 7 to 4 with Councillors voting in favour: Guise, Dalton-Earls, Jensen, Waters, Rob, Knight-Smith, and Hall.
Those opposed were Mayor Krieg and Councillors Gordon, Bing, and Battista.
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Originally published as Lismore council pushes for crime advisory group to link with December safety forum
