Wyndham Council rejects proposed ban on Chinese made goods and services
A western suburbs council has slapped down a proposed ban on Chinese made goods, with councillors arguing it wasn’t their job to set federal policy. One councillor suggested the ban could harm local businesses.
West
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Wyndham Council has slapped down a proposed ban on Chinese goods and services, with councillors arguing it’s not their job to set federal policy.
Harrison Ward’s Cr Tony Hooper put the motion forward at Tuesday night’s meeting, hosted on Facebook Live, to shun products made by Chinese backed companies.
Cr Hooper told the council the communist nation was accused of atrocious human rights abuses against minority groups and Hong Kong residents.
The council could “choose who we do business with”, he told the council, and he called on his colleagues to back his proposal.
“I do think there is something to be said about standing up for principles and not turning a blind eye,” Cr Hooper said.
“There are reports that the Chinese government has detained more than a million people from mostly Muslim ethnic groups including Uighurs in a vast network of detention centres that are part of an assimilation campaign.
“We sat that our council decisions include ethics so it’s reasonable to ban government owned entities with these practises when we are making local buying decisions.”
The move was seconded by Cr Intaj Khan and supported by Cr Henry Barlow, but Cr Walter Villagonzalo said the council should leave international policy to the Federal Government.
“Most of our suppliers are local companies who may be importers or distributers who may be importers of distributors of products from overseas. Do we have the capability to determine the ownership of these companies?,” he said.
“Local governments like Wyndham should be focusing on what matters to our local community … we should not use our ratepayers’ money to play international politics.”
The motion was voted down seven to three by the council.
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