‘One step forward’: Changes to opening prayer in Clarence council meetings

A Tasmanian councillor has proposed her local council scrap its opening prayer in meetings and replace it with a one minute silence to acknowledge the traditional owners. LATEST + HAVE YOUR SAY >>

Clarence Council could soon scrap its opening prayer and replace it with a minute of silent reflection to better include different faiths and cultures.

A two part motion was moved at the council’s general meeting on Monday by Ald Beth Warren to firstly move the acknowledgement of country – which pays respect to the traditional owners of the land – to the start of the agenda and to secondly hold a workshop to discuss replacing the opening prayer with a minute’s silence to follow the acknowledgment.

Ms Warren said more than half of Tasmania’s councils began with an acknowledgement of country.

“The Tasmanian State Government begins with an acknowledgement of country as does the Federal House of Representatives,” Ms Warren said.

Ms Warren said acknowledged there may be opposition to replacing the prayer.

“By replacing the prayer with a minute’s silence, we’re allowing everyone to reflect in the manner that gives them the most comfort and support,” she said.

Clarence City Council Beth Warren.

“This may be by silently reciting the council prayer or for those from non-Christian faiths or cultures to reflect on their role of council in a way that is meaningful to them.

“It does not exclude anyone and it broadens our engagement to those whose beliefs are not currently represented.”

The idea comes from the council’s reconciliation action plan (RAP), which aims to better reflect the contributions of traditional custodians.

In October 2020, Ms Warren moved a motion for the Aboriginal flag to permanently fly outside the council chambers, but it was initially lost after a tied vote.

Aboriginal flag. Photo: Alistair Brightman

In protest, community members placed dozens of tiny flags on the council lawn, which resulted in a second vote where the motion was carried.

Clarence mayor Doug Chipman opposed replacing the prayer, arguing it was a generic prayer.

“It’s not a Christian prayer,” Mr Chipman said.

“It’s a prayer that can easily be signed up to by Christians, sure, Jews, Muslims, even Hindus and others acknowledge a supreme god.

“I think it’s wrong to label it a Christian prayer, we deliberately designed the prayer so it wasn’t purely a Christian prayer.”

Clarence City Council Mayor Doug Chipman. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Mr Chipman also believed more work was needed on the motion before the acknowledgment could be moved.

But Ms Warren said it was a simple motion and there was no reason for delay.

“Two years ago, I was requested to delay the flag motion until after the RAP was completed,” Ms Warren said.

“It’s going to be another 18 months or two years before the RAP is completed, I am so glad I did not take that advice.

“If we paid greater respect to our first nation’s people today, why wouldn’t we do that?

“Why would we delay that respect?”

The motion was carried 9-3

‘One step forward’: Clarence takes action after scathing review

The Clarence Council will take the findings of a scathing report into its culture to a workshop to discuss how to make improvements after it was found there was a lack of respect between aldermen.

A report into a review handed down last week said there was a high degree of interpersonal conflict and that there were two aldermen in particular who antagonised each other, negatively affecting the dynamic of the group.

It also raised concerns around the treatment of council staff.

Ald Beth Warren moved the report not only be noted but discussed further.

“After discussion a number of us decided it was worth going one step forward and recommending some action,” Ms Warren said.

“There are some issues of behaviour.”

Tony Mulder. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

“I hope as a result of that we’ll be able to advise our ratepayers of a positive outcome and indeed build a better platform over the next six months for an incoming council later in the year, where treating each other with respect is a given, as it always should be.”

Ald Tony Mulder said there had been unpleasant incidents but he did not believe Clarence had toxic culture.

“In this chamber, in workshops and in the community, there are well documented examples of councillors being aggressive, shouting, threatening, mocking denigrating, this does not excuse those behaviours but isolated incidents do not a culture make,” Mr Mulder said.

“These unpleasant events perpetrated by a few, they are not the way most of us behave, nor do any of us behave this way all the time.

“It is disappointing the report considers that the antagonism between myself and another alderman is somehow the context of this toxic culture.”

Ald Luke Edmunds said the report needed to be considered in good faith, and that aldermen shouldn’t simply pick and choose from the findings.

“We didn’t need this report to tell us things were well and truly awry here,” Mr Edmunds said.

“If anyone reads this report and can’t see themselves in it to some extent, they need a massive reality check.

I think the twelve of us have a role to play, anyone who’s going to wash their hands of way the culture has gone here is delusional.”

Clarence mayor Doug Chipman said it was important the motion was talked through further, particularly before council elections in October.

Clarence City Council Mayor Doug Chipman in front of the flagpoles outside the council's chambers. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

“If we can by way of setting in place some standards and ideas and processes over the next six months so that new council comes in and can benefit from our experience, then I think Clarence City Council is going to be an outstanding place for a long time to come,” Mr Chipman said.

“We have been through a lot, we went through a dark patch 12 months ago and it’s good to see things emerge from there.”

‘Disrespectful’: Scathing report blasts Clarence culture

There’s a lack of respect between aldermen at Clarence Council, a review into the council’s culture says, with concerns also raised about how council staff have been treated.

A review of the workplace environment was called for in August last year after health and safety concerns were raised by aldermen.

Two thirds of aldermen and executive staff participated anonymously in a review by Edge Legal.

“There is a high degree of interpersonal conflict between the Aldermen as a group and particular Aldermen who have a well-known, entrenched dislike and disregard for each other,” Edge Legal said in an executive summary.

“There is a particular antipathy between two of the aldermen who reportedly antagonise one another, which impacts negatively on the group dynamic.”

Eight Clarence Alderman. Pic Supplied

The review said the aldermen understood what appropriate workplace behaviour was, but that some did not believe those standards applied to interactions between fellow members.

“Those aldermen perceive the council to be a political environment, and

what might be ordinarily viewed as unacceptable behaviour in a non-council workplace

is then rationalised as a ‘contest of ideas’ and ‘robust’, ‘spirited debate’,” The review said.

The review also reflected on how aldermen treated council employees.

“The senior managers interviewed described the Aldermanic behaviour towards employees as

disrespectful and inappropriate at times,” the review said.

“Some managers said they were uncomfortable as to how particular Aldermen treated the general manager.”

The review found there were “alliances”, which led to evenly split votes.

“These alliances are based less on policy position and more on personalities,” the review said.

The review found senior managers were also concerned by the way interpersonal conflicts played out on social media, fearing it would reflect poorly on the council.

It found without intervention there was “a real risk of breaches of work health and safety requirements” and that risk of an unsafe work environment impacted on good governance.

Clarence mayor Doug Chipman said the findings identified areas to be improved, but said Clarence wasn’t the only council with issues.

“I think it’s worth also referencing that some of the issues identified in the report are not

unique to Clarence City Council,” Mr Chipman said.

“One of my goals with the original Notice of Motion was to look for a best practice approach.

There is an opportunity for Clarence to lead modest reform in this area, which I hope will be a long-term outcome.”

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