Waratah-Wynyard Council annual general meeting ends with Acting Mayor Celisa Edwards walking out

‘All right then, you stand up and walk out.’ A tense Tasmanian council meeting ended abruptly as a member of the public tried to ask questions. What went down.

The Waratah-Wynyard Council chambers. Picture: Supplied.

The Waratah-Wynyard Council’s annual general meeting ended abruptly after Acting Mayor Celisa Edwards left the meeting in the middle of question time.

Her exit came after a heated debate among councillors about a report into staffing and workplace culture issues at the council.

The report was written in 2013 but was not made public until recently when Waratah-Wynyard ratepayer Codie Hutchison – an electoral officer for Tasmanian independent MHA Craig Garland – acquired a copy through a right-to-information request.

Most of the report has been redacted, with more than half covered in black ink.

Waratah-Wynyard Deputy Mayor Celisa Edwards. Picture: Supplied.

One of the non-redacted parts of the report states “there is a number of longstanding unresolved staffing and workplace communication issues which have escalated and continue to create a significant negative impact on the council’s ability to manage dysfunction and use appropriate communication to resolve conflict in the workplace.”

For the Waratah-Wynyard Council AGM, Mr Hutchison put forward a motion asking for the report to be noted, the implementation of its recommendations assessed, and a transparency policy developed.

The motion was carried, with 13 for and two against.

Following a question from a public member, Ms Edwards closed the meeting.

However, Mr Hutchison got up and said “I’ve got a few more questions and statements.”

“I would ask that the acting mayor give a bit of courtesy because the debate was gagged, and I was promised the ability to ask some.”

Codie Hutchison. Picture: Supplied.

But Ms Edwards responded by saying “that we are just about to close the meeting.”

“So, any other questions, you can come back and ask at a normal council meeting.”

Following a response from Mr Hutchison, Ms Edwards said she would “stand up and walk out of the room” if he did not listen to her.

“All right then, you stand up and walk out,” Mr Hutchison said.

While Ms Edwards walked out of the room, Mr Hutchison said she was “again, not respecting the will of the people, the electors.”

“Well done for your first opportunity to actually represent the community,” he said sarcastically.

The live stream of the meeting was cut off as Mr Hutchison asked questions of the general manager.

He said after the meeting that the general manager sat in silence while he asked the questions.

Originally published as Waratah-Wynyard Council annual general meeting ends with Acting Mayor Celisa Edwards walking out