Andrew Thaler has called female council workers fat, dumb and useless. Now he’s been elected a councillor

A serial pest who has been banned from Snowy Monaro Regional Council meetings and has publicly described some of the council’s female workers as fat, dumb, a bitch and “a useless cow of a thing”, has been elected as a councillor.

Gonzo broadcaster and scrapyard owner Andrew Thaler will have to do the job via video link, as the ban – prompted by what council described as his “aggressive, disruptive, verbally abusive and offensive” behaviour – remains in force to ensure a safe workplace for staff.

Locals are concerned there will be a confrontation outside the first meeting of new councillors next week, after Thaler warned the council’s chief executive that he doesn’t accept the prohibition and intends to turn up with his supporters.

Andrew Thaler has been elected to a council from which he is banned. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Thaler, who has previously run unsuccessfully for state and federal seats, was on Tuesday confirmed as one of 11 councillors who will represent the Snowy Monaro shire for the next four years. He didn’t achieve a quota, but scraped through on preferences despite getting just 500 first preference votes.

The council and state government on Tuesday sought advice from the Office of Local Government and SafeWork NSW, as the situation is believed to be unprecedented. The response was that the ban stood and Thaler would need to attend meetings remotely.

In a video Thaler posted at the weekend, he told his followers he would call council CEO David Hogan’s bluff if there were accusations of trespassing when he and his supporters arrived at the Cooma chambers on October 10.

“A better thing to do, David Hogan, would be if I get elected, you hand in your two weeks notice, you put your keys on the table, your credit card, and f--- off mate, because there’s going to be a big clean out at the top of that council,” he told his followers on a Facebook video.

In 2018, the Snowy Monaro Regional Council restricted Thaler from its business premises, but not libraries or pools, because it “identified a risk to the health and safety” of workers. It described his behaviour as aggressive, disruptive, verbally abusive and offensive, and at times threatening, intimidating and confrontational.

It cited cases in which Thaler allegedly verbally abused council workers, and Facebook comments that “denigrate and belittle” councillors, and which “incite hatred of the councillors”.

Thaler on Tuesday said the council ban “was never effective, never enforceable, and ultra vires (beyond lawful power).”

In a video posted in June on Thaler’s Facebook page, he described a council librarian as a “fat, useless, ugly cow of a thing”, and said, “go and try to get me evicted from the library, bitch, I make this as a public record and I’m coming for your job.”

Women targeted by Thaler’s slurs include former state cabinet minister Bronnie Taylor and Snowy Monaro councillor Tanya Higgins Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Sources close to council said staff were highly distressed at Thaler’s election. In a response to questions from this masthead, Thaler said, “I treat everyone with respect, until they disrespect me, or harm me. Then I hold them to account.”

Hogan said advice from the Office of Local Government and SafeWork found Thaler’s election did not negate the ban on attending meetings and events, which related to the council’s responsibilities to provide a safe workplace.

Thaler was told on Tuesday the ban remained in place. “He will be provided with equipment and support to dial into meetings removed to fulfil his obligations as a councillor and to allow us to maintain a safe workplace,” Hogan said. “He has been advised of those arrangements.”

Thaler has lived in the Snowy Monaro town of Nimmitabel, near Cooma, for about a decade. Locals – particularly female community leaders – say they have been pestered, defamed and intimidated by his broadcasts and video ambushes for years.

An excerpt from one of the banning notices sent to Thaler.Credit: Fairfax Media

His commentary has included telling them to “suck a dick”, describing them as dumb, venal, a “piece of shit”, a “disgusting creature” and branding them narcissistic, manipulative liars. In response to questions on Tuesday, he said, “I am allowed to form, hold and communicate my own personal views of people, certainly my views are shaped by the attitude directed towards me.”

Thaler has long been banned from Nimmitabel Advancement Group premises, including the community centre, and last month was also banned from six more businesses in Nimmitabel and Cooma, including the Country Women’s Association, the museum and the bakery.

Gail Eastaway, the former editor of the Monaro Post, said the reaction of many to Thaler’s election has been “abject horror. Every time I go to the butcher I was asked the same question – he can’t possibly get in? But that’s preferential voting for you.”

While Thaler’s history of minor interactions with the court system has stretched over two decades, he does not reach the threshold for disqualification from office, which applies to people serving a sentence or who have been convicted of an offence carrying more than five years.

Andrew Thaler, attending Cooma Court earlier this year on charges that were subsequently dropped.Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald

He has been found guilty of minor charges, including contravening an AVO and assaulting a police officer in the execution of duty. He has been dealt with under section 10 (which means no conviction is recorded), or given good behaviour bonds.

One case involved a guilty finding, but no conviction, for intimidation after Thaler swore at Rural Fire Service staff after arriving late to pick up a burn permit. They called police and he said, “you’re ringing the police because you’re a f---ing sook”, the Monaro Post reported in May 2022.

Thaler elected to have the matter heard by a jury in the District Court before pleading guilty.

The Herald wrote about the impact of his abuse on the women of Nimmitabel last month.

In last weekend’s video, Thaler said he was considering challenging the election result in court if he lost. He would cite, among other things, “the corruption of the Fairfax report singling me out, with paid-for advertorial, paid for by the Australian government”.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.