By Adam Carey
Residents in uproar over issues including COVID-19 vaccines and the impounding of a family’s collection of hot rods and jet-skis under local laws have forced a wild council meeting in Melbourne’s south-east to be abandoned.
Sections of the crowd also booed loudly during the mayor’s Acknowledgement of Country and his reference to LGBTQ people, prompting one councillor to lament “racist” elements within the gallery.
A packed council meeting in Casey was abandoned on Tuesday night.
On Tuesday night, the City of Casey attempted to hold its first fully public council meeting since emerging from administration in November, only for councillors to adjourn the meeting about 90 minutes later and exit the town hall under police guard.
New mayor Stefan Koomen began the meeting by celebrating the full public gallery as a sign of a return to local democracy in Casey – Melbourne’s largest local government area – after the last council was sacked in 2020 following a corruption investigation by IBAC.
Koomen noted that it was the first meeting the democratically elected council had held outside of business hours, which was intended to give more ratepayers a chance to attend.
But within seconds, the mood turned sour as sections of the audience loudly jeered during an Acknowledgement of Country and the diversity statement – both standard features of council meetings in Melbourne.
Casey mayor Stefan Koomen faced a barrage of criticism at the council’s meeting, leading him to adjourn it early.
During question time, attempts by councillors and their staff to respond to 63 pre-submitted questions were regularly interrupted as people in the audience shouted over the responses, with Koomen at one point being told: “Shut your f---ing mouth you c---.”
Most of the questions from the public related to an unpopular proposal to build a waste transfer station in Hampton Park, at a site close to homes and originally planned to be rehabilitated into parkland.
But it was on other issues that the large public gallery was most voluble, leading Koomen to adjourn the meeting twice following multiple warnings and calls for silence.
Councillors faced questions about the decision by Port Hedland council, in remote WA, to suspend mRNA vaccines late last year due to claims of DNA fragmentation.
“These claims have been previously debunked by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and as such council did not support it,” a council officer responded, prompting boos and a reference to “crimes against humanity” by one audience member.
A section of the audience was also there to protest against the council’s recent confiscation of several vintage vehicles and jet-skis it says were being stored on private property without a permit or the property owner’s permission.
The issue had been reported by Channel 7 news and widely discussed on social media.
In a statement, the council said it “investigated a property in Hampton Park relating to six unregistered vehicles, three shipping containers, multiple boats, jet-skis and trailers that were owned by the occupant of the neighbouring property”.
Councillors were escorted from the meeting under police guard.
“After investigating, officers discovered that these items were being stored on the property without consent from the owner. The owner of the unregistered vehicles lived adjacent at a neighbouring property and was found to be storing items on land that they were not the owners of, and did not have the authority to use,” the council said.
Koomen told the public gallery the property had been owned by a local church since 2015. He said the local laws that led to the unregistered vehicles being impounded were not new or unique to council. But he conceded they had been poorly and confusingly explained in council documents.
The explanation was shouted down by sections of the audience, with one male loudly yelling “bullshit”.
Koomen said on Wednesday that he was “incredibly disappointed with the behaviour displayed at the council meeting” and that it would not be tolerated.
“We had a number of residents attending the meeting in good faith, expecting to hear a response to their questions,” he said.
“Unfortunately they, along with our staff and my fellow councillors, were subjected to threatening behaviour. The wellbeing and safety of community and staff attending our meetings is our top priority. The situation escalated to a point where the police had to be called due to the actions of some individuals in the gallery.”
Koomen told The Age councillors felt intimidated, but that the council remained committed to holding public meetings. He said it was particularly disappointing to hear loud booing during the acknowledgement of Country.
“We have got a diverse community and the second-largest Indigenous community in Victoria. That was not a reflection, I feel, of Casey residents, but a minority who had turned up to our meeting.”
Lynbrook resident Ray Dalli, a leading community campaigner against Veolia’s proposed waste transfer station, had a front-row seat and said the rancour began when council officers attempted to limit how many people could attend the meeting.
He said people were told to go to their cars and watch the live-stream on their phones, but refused to do so, and that a security guard at the gallery door was brushed aside.
He said that at one point during the meeting he felt unsafe, though ultimately there was no violence or threats. “The crowd didn’t cross that black tape line, didn’t try to approach the council bench,” Dalli said.
“The new councillors don’t deserve this. They didn’t have any input on the waste transfer station or the local laws.”
Dalli said he suspected many attendees had never attended a council meeting before.
“They wanted to ask questions and get answers and that’s not what happens at council meetings, unfortunately.”
River Gum ward councillor Lynette Pereira said on Wednesday that she was “very disappointed” in the behaviour of sections of the crowd.
“I was very happy to see a lot of people attend. I’m all for community engagement but certain people in the crowd were extremely racist, and I find that appalling,” Pereira said.
“They were just yelling through the answers, and they were not interested in listening.”
Koomen adjourned the meeting to a later date.
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