City of Yarra considers spending $7250 on climate change and refugee banners for town halls

AN INNER city council will consider spending thousands of ratepayer dollars on new political banners, with a free market think tank calling the proposal a “useless stunt”.

INNER city ratepayers are set to pay thousands of dollars for prominent political messaging by their council.

City of Yarra councillors will consider a Greens proposal for new climate change action banners at Richmond, Fitzroy and Collingwood town halls.

Former mayor and Greens councillor Amanda Stone wants the banners to say ‘Climate Emergency: Yarra commits to strong action to keep warming below 1.5 degrees’.

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City of Yarra councillor Amanda Stone is a climate change activist.

Cr Stone has flown to climate change summits in Canada and Germany over the past year as a council representative.

Last month, she attended a “climate emergency” conference held by fellow Greens-dominated Darebin Council.

According to Cr Stone’s report of the conference, “mobilisation, such as in time of war or global financial crisis, was a common analogy across all speakers”.

“The need to not only completely remove fossil fuel from the economy within 10 years, but also to remove greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere was described as urgent, probably very expensive but necessary and not impossible,” her report said.

A Greens proposal for new climate change action banners will be considered for Richmond Town Hall.

A management report for Tuesday night’s Yarra Council meeting said that buying five new banners for the municipality’s three town halls would cost about $7250.

This would include two new “support refugees” banners to replace existing ones “now faded and looking tired”.

An anti-East West Link banner displayed at Collingwood would be replaced with a climate change sign.

A Greens proposal for new climate change action banners will be considered for Collingwood Town Hall.

Gideon Rozner, from free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs, said ratepayers were sick of useless political stunts.

“Yet again we have more virtue-signalling by hapless local politicians on policy areas they have no jurisdiction over,” he said.

“Whatever you think of issues like global warming and asylum seekers, it’s indisputable that no matter how many banners are hoisted by the City of Yarra, they will make absolutely no difference.”

“If the City of Yarra has money to burn on garbage like this, then surely it’s time for a hefty rate cut.”

Some other councils also fly political banners, as does St Paul’s Cathedral with a prominent sign saying “Let’s fully support refugees”.

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@JMasanauskas