Melton City Council forces rainbow flag ‘identity politics’ on staff despite residents’ conservative views

Melton City Council is forcing staff to put a picture of a rainbow flag in every email they send.

An outer suburban council with one of the most conservative groups of ratepayers in Melbourne has been accused of forcing “identity politics” on its staff by making them put a picture of a rainbow flag on the bottom of every email they send.

Melton City Council told staff on Friday they would have to add a rainbow flag to their email signatures.

The council area is among the most conservative in Melbourne, with only around 53 per cent of residents voting “yes” in the 2017 same sex marriage postal survey.

Pockets of the community appear to have to have overwhelmingly voted “no”, according to official statistics.

Melton City Council has been accused of forcing its staff to take push “identity politics”. Picture: Hollie Adams

In an email from chief executive Kelvin Tori, council staff were told the “new standard” had been endorsed by council’s executive.

Mr Tori has since confirmed that the decision was made by him alone.

“No variations to the endorsed standard are to be applied,” Mr Tori said, except if a staff member worked part time or wanted to be referred to by a specific gender pronoun.

An unnamed council staff member told a conservative news blog “the rainbow flag can look like moral support for identity politics or sexualities prohibited by many religions in this multicultural area”.

Melton City Council will force staff to put a picture of a rainbow flag in every email they send. Picture: Supplied

Another staff member said: “They should just have a statement saying they value all people and don’t discriminate.

“No one would feel upset about that message”.

Associate Professor Neil Foster, an expert in law and religion, said there were “a couple of ways” employees could challenge the directive to express views “contrary to their deeply help religious beliefs” and said the council should have allowed “some flexibility”.

Mr Tori declined to answer specific questions about the change.

“This demonstrates that we are an inclusive employer and city, and is in line with adopted Council strategies and values,” he said.

Council staff will also have to include an acknowledgement of country and pictures of the Australian, Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Island flags in their new email signatures.