Councillor has not read same-sex parenting book he led charge to ban

The western Sydney councillor behind a library ban on a children’s book about same-sex parents admits he hasn’t read it.

As senior NSW Labor figures hit out at the sole party colleague who broke ranks to vote in favour of the Cumberland City Council ban, Arts Minister John Graham has advised the council that the motion was in breach of legislative guidelines for libraries.

Cumberland councillor Steve Christou.Credit: Jessica Hromas

But conservative independent councillor Steve Christou on Wednesday confirmed he was not aware of the contents of Same-Sex Parents, the book which sparked his motion.

When this masthead asked if he had read the book, Christou responded: “No, I have not. I have been very open about that.” He said his concern was “any form of material burdening our children”.

“You’d be very hard-pressed to find a two, three, [or] four-year-old that would legitimately understand whether or not [they] have same-sex parents.”

The book is listed as being for children aged six and older, but Christou said it was found in the toddler section of Merrylands Library.

Christou said he brought the matter to council because residents had complained to him about the book, and more had come forward after media reporting. However, he refused to say how many residents had complained.

Same-Sex Parents, by Holly Duhig.

“Have I received 200 phone calls on it? No,” he said, before later adding that “I’ve received more than five complaints”.

In a letter seen by this masthead, the arts minister wrote to Cumberland City Council general manager Peter Fitzgerald to warn that the resolution to ban same-sex parenting books contravened state law.

Graham said the resolution went against the Library Council of NSW guidelines for freedom of access to information, which dictated libraries must be an “unbiased source of information and ideas” with collections that “meet the diverse and evolving needs of their communities”.

The guidelines also state that materials which have not been banned at a state or federal level shouldn’t be excluded from collections on moral or religious grounds.

“I ask that council considers this resolution with haste, to ensure that the people of Cumberland continue to have access to collections which represent the diversity of the NSW community,” the letter said.

After this masthead reported on the decision to ban same-sex parenting books, Graham warned the Cumberland Council it could have its state funding reviewed.

Labor councillor Mohamad Hussein broke ranks with his party to vote in support of the motion, which passed 6-5, in a move that has angered senior leaders in his own party.

In a statement, Hussein said he stood by his vote.

“This decision was NOT targeted at anyone or groups in the Cumberland City Council,” he said. “This decision was made in line with my religious beliefs and I will not be compromising those beliefs.”

Housing Minister Rose Jackson took to X, formerly Twitter, to condemn Hussein’s backing of the ban. “Book bans should exist nowhere. Stop being weirdly obsessed with how other people live their private lives and thinking you look tough punching down on minorities. It’s pathetic,” she said in response to the vote. “Don’t like the books? Don’t read them.”

Environment Minister Penny Sharpe also called on the council to reverse its decision.

“Supporting families is one of the best things local, state and federal governments can do. Banning books about families is one of the worst things,” she said.

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