‘Hateful actions’: NSW government’s warning to public servants after wild scenes
Some 400,000 public servants have been issued a stern warning after “disturbing” scenes played out outside parliament.
The New South Wales government has warned its public servants against expressing hostility or hatred after a disturbing neo-Nazi rally last Saturday.
About 60 men from the National Socialist Network (NSN) dressed in all black – some also wearing hats and sunglasses – gathered outside the gates of state parliament in the city.
The group held a banner that read “abolish the Jewish lobby” and chanted antisemitic slogans.
It later emerged one of the men who attended, named as Cooper Stephens, was employed with Sydney Trains as a guard. He has since been stood down.
The images and reports of a public servant being involved in the anti-Jewish rally has alarmed the Minns government.
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In an email seen by news.com.au, it warned its some 400,000 public work force that it will not tolerate “hostility” or “hatred toward some sections of the community”.
“In the past week we saw some deeply disturbing images of neo-Nazis and white supremacists parading outside our parliament,” the email from Simon Draper, Secretary of the Premier’s Department, read.
“Their purpose is two-fold – to express hostility to valued members of our community, and to attract attention to their wretched cause. You may have seen media reports that one of those at the rally was an employee of the government.
“This adds another dimension to the activities of neo-Nazi groups. The NSW Public Service is as wide and varied as our community.”
Mr Draper said the government does not regulate the “private thoughts and opinions” of its employees but reminded they served the public.
“It’s in the title. And we mean all member of our community. It is simply inconsistent with our job to publicly express hostility or incite hatred toward some sections of the community,” the email continued.
“We will also be resolute in insisting that NSW public servants, no matter where they work, show respect to all members of the public and to colleagues, regardless of their background.
“Public servants work for the citizens of NSW every day and across the state. We cannot allow our reputation to be sullied by the hateful actions of a few.”
The Sydney Morning Herald reported Mr Stephens, based in southwest Sydney, works as a train guard for the state government agency.
In a statement to news.com.au on Thursday, a spokesperson for the train network confirmed he was an employee, adding that “Sydney Trains is very concerned with the matter”.
“In the interim, Sydney Trains has directed the employee not to attend work while the matter is examined,” they said.
“The employee’s role is frontline and his actions are not supported by Sydney Trains or Transport for NSW and are not in line with public sector values.”
‘Out themselves’
NSW Premier Chris Minns has warned figures aligned with the neo-Nazi rally against forming a new political party, saying members would “effectively out themselves”.
It came amid reports the group were quietly attempting to form a new political party, White Australia, under which tradie and NSN NSW leader, Jack Eltis, 28, submitted a Form 1 application to police for a public assembly prior to the rally.
On Wednesday, Mr Minns cautioned members against forming a party, stating there was a “high bar” they would have to meet, with only about 60 political parties registered to run in federal elections and about 20 in NSW.
“In order to register a political party, you need 750 people who are prepared to sign the register,” he said.
“That’s 750 people who would effectively out themselves as associated with neo-Nazis.
“Anyone who’s thinking about signing the paperwork to register this political party has to think long and hard about whether they want their name and their reputation publicly associated with Nazis in NSW.”
Asked if he would support changes to electoral laws to stop groups like NSW becoming political, Mr Minns said he was “not going into rush into that”.
“What I would say is that there’s a public interest test available to the electoral commissioner for she makes a decision about the registration of the political party,” he said.
“I don’t want to impact an independent decision that I assume that a nakedly racist organisation would be a very strong risk of breaching that public interest test.”
‘We should have known’: Minns
Mr Minns, Police Minister Yasmin Catley and the state’s new top cop Mal Lanyon have insisted they were unaware of the neo-Nazi group’s gathering.
Mr Minns said his secretary, Mr Draper, had not been notified, and suggested his office may not have been told as the event was being held on a weekend.
“The information (about the rally) was provided from police to parliamentary security (and) to the security that’s responsible for 52 Martin Place and the premier’s department,” Minns told reporters on Wednesday.
“They knew about it, but didn’t share it with staff, members of parliament, public officials or bureaucrats. They should have known, we should have known.”
But there were some figure who were made aware after local police gave the green light to the neo-Nazi group’s rally.
They included NSW Speaker Greg Piper whose staff were told about the demonstration on Friday from parliament security.
Mr Piper said he tried to relocate it but was unsuccessful.
Police Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell had also been given advance notice of the rally on November 3 during a “usual Monday morning operational briefing”.
“In hindsight, the nature of the ‘White Australia’ group is of such political interest and community interest to our organisation, that I should’ve advised the Commissioner that this protest was taking place,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“It was an oversight on my part and I have apologised to the Commissioner about that oversight.”
Any group planning a protest in NSW can seek authorisation by submitting a “Form 1” to notifying police of their intent to rally.
If they give at least seven days notice and there has been no objection from courts, then it is automatically considered approved.
Police have the ability to shut it down through court but must outline why.
There are more than 1000 protests in NSW each year.
-with NewsWire
