Borough of Queenscliffe council puts reconciliation plan, signage on ice in decisive vote

The Borough of Queenscliffe council has voted 4-1 in favour of putting its reconciliation plan on hold, while signage that would have acknowledged the traditional owners has also been shelved.

The Borough of Queenscliffe council: Isabelle Tolhurst, Donnie Grigau, Brendan Monahan, Helene Cameron and Di Rule. Picture: Supplied.

Former Queenscliffe mayor Isabelle Tolhurst was the only one of five councillors to oppose the Borough putting its reconciliation plan on hold at Wednesday night’s meeting.

The vote means that not only will implementation of the plan be halted, but signage that would recognise the Wadawurrung people and land will also be shelved for the time being.

All councillors spoke on the motion, which was brought forward by Donnie Grigau, who ran for the Liberal Party in the Bellarine electorate at the 2022 state election.

“Over the past few days, numerous figures and statistics have been presented to support both sides of the argument,” he said.

“At the start of each council term, it is essential council has the authority to review past decisions to ensure they align with the best interest of community and ratepayers.

“Survey results clearly indicate that council’s direction has been moving the wrong way.”

A push to put the action plan on hold emerged following last November’s council elections, which saw three new members elected.

One of that trio, Helene Cameron, seconded the motion, with mayor Di Rule and deputy Brendan Monahan also voicing support.

Isabelle Tolhurst.

Ms Tolhurst, Ms Rule’s predecessor and a former Greens member, was the sole voice of dissent.

“I believe holding the Queenscliffe reconciliation plan fails to deliver our commitment to what the community asked us to do, and in my opinion, singles out initiatives which have not yet been subject, without providing rationale or fair process to the community,” she said.

“(Queenscliffe) told us they wanted to respect the Wadawurrung people.”

In March last year, the previous council voted to adopt the first stage of the plan – “reflect” – which Ms Tolhurst described at the time as an internal document that focused on how to prepare an organisation to engage in reconciliation.

As it was an internal document, it did not need public consultation, however it’s understood the next three aspects of the plan do.

The Borough of Queenscliffe is one of just four Victorian municipalities to have adopted the “reflect” stage, alongside the Surf Coast Shire, Benalla Rural City, and Central Goldfields.

EARLIER: Queenscliffe council to vote on putting reconciliation plan on ice

The Borough of Queenscliffe’s reconciliation action plan could be put on ice as the council looks to tighten its belt.

The Borough’s five councillors will vote on Wednesday night whether to stall the next stage of its reconciliation plan, along with signage recognising the Wadawurrung people and land.

A push to put the action plan on hold emerged following last November’s council elections, which saw three new members elected.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed the plan had been put on hold so the incoming councillors could be fully briefed on the program.

“Following the election of a new council … several councillors have articulated different views on specific actions within the current Annual Plan 2024-25,” the meeting agenda states.

The Borough council has “advised the CEO that they would like to put the work to implement the Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan on hold”.

Speaking as an individual councillor, Mayor Di Rule said the motive behind the move was to save money.

The Borough’s current budget forecast an underlying deficit of $41,000.

“We have been told over and over that we’ve got budget constraints and we have to make decisions about what we can and can’t do,” Ms Rule said.

“In looking through the annual plan, we are looking for some savings because we have to spend money on things such as beach access.”

Ms Rule said access to beaches across the Borough, from the Back Beach at Point Lonsdale to the dog beach had been impacted by strong winds in September and were a priority to fix.

“The main thing people come here for is the beaches, if you can’t access the beaches safely, what are we offering?” she said.

Under Reconciliation Australia’s framework, there are four reconciliation action plan types: reflect, innovate, stretch and elevate.

If approved, the move will mean the next stage of the Borough’s reconciliation plan – an “innovate” RAP, accredited by Reconciliation Australia – would be placed on hold.

In March last year, the council voted to adopt the first stage – “reflect” – which then-mayor Isabelle Tolhurst described as an internal document explaining how to prepare an organisation to engage in reconciliation.

As it was an internal document, it did not need public consultation, however it’s understood the next three aspects do.

The Borough of Queenscliffe is one of just four Victorian municipalities to have a Reflect RAP, along with Benalla Rural City, Central Goldfields and Surf Coast.

However, Ms Rule said much of the work on the “reflect” RAP had been completed.

“It’s not about unravelling any of that, it’s good work,” Ms Rule said.

Ms Rule said if the council voted to put the next stage on hold, the signage and the development of an “innovate” RAP would be “on the list” for the Borough’s next annual plan and the council would investigate costings.

In a March 2024 report, the Borough said it would work with Wadawurrung traditional owners, Barwon Coast and Greater Geelong “on a signage style guideline for the Bellarine Peninsula” and a sign at the Point Lonsdale lighthouse, which was supposed to be completed in November.

Originally published as Borough of Queenscliffe council puts reconciliation plan, signage on ice in decisive vote