By Stephen Brook and Kishor Napier-Raman
More and more councillors are speaking out against Dean Hurlston at Council Watch, alleging inaccurate information on the website and poisonous attacks on councillors and staff.
But not City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece, who granted the controversial website an interview on Monday.
Deputy Lord Mayor Roshena Campbell and Lord Mayor Nick Reece.Credit: Simon Schluter
The latest to line up against Council Watch is City of Moonee Valley councillor Rose Iser. According to the notice paper for the council’s Tuesday night meeting, she will move a motion asking for an investigation into Council Watch to see if it is really a “third-party campaigner organisation”.
Iser also calls on the Municipal Association of Victoria to condemn the “personal abuse directed at individuals, and misinformation about councils, employees and councillors, conveyed regularly online by Council Watch Victoria”. She was then roundly attacked on the Council Watch site.
Council Watch president Dean Hurlston. Credit: Simon Schluter
Regular readers will recall that Stonnington Mayor Melina Sehr’s intervention order application against Hurlston heads to court in April. Hurlston’s partner, Joe Gianfriddo, was a one-term mayor at the council, which takes in Prahran and Malvern, before losing his seat at the last election.
City of Stonnington chief executive Dale Dickson released a statement calling out “the personal and malicious commentary that is being directed towards our council officers and some of our councillors”, which was widely interpreted as being directed at Hurlston.
“There is no excuse for trolling and online abuse. It is never acceptable.”
In the City of Port Phillip, which includes Port Melbourne and St Kilda, Mayor Louise Crawford earlier this month issued a release to say a post on Council Watch about local crime and safety was “incorrect, irresponsible, and potentially defamatory”.
“This type of false reporting is distracting, unhelpful and designed to create division and anger. Our community – and his readers – deserve better.”
Hurlston attacked Crawford, saying she “deserved an Academy Award”, and that “dismissive and nasty might work in an actor’s world”.
We contacted Hurlston for a comment.
But what does Melbourne’s nice-guy mayor Reece and deputy mayor Roshena Campbell make of such abuse? We were unable to find out, but a council spokesman did point out the lord mayor had an “open door policy”.
Gronk talk
The NRL has hired, presumably at great expense, NFL legend Rob Gronkowski for a lavish US television commercial to highlight rugby league’s incursion into the United States, culminating in its Las Vegas festival of footy involving eight games to kick off the season on March 1.
NFL legend and former New England Patriot Rob Gronkowski.Credit: AP
But “The Gronk” went a little off-piste at the weekend when he swung by Caulfield races courtesy of Sportsbet, to hang out at Blue Diamond Stakes Day.
This was a neat tie-in given Melbourne’s new status as a host city for the NFL next year. The Gronk, though, happily singing the praises of rival code, the AFL, was not in the script.
“It’s wild,” he told the Herald Sun. “I’m a fan of it. I’ve watched some highlights and there are some vicious hits.
“I don’t know how you guys take these hits without shoulder pads. I would never put myself out to want to do that.”
This from the man cheekily dubbed a “rugby league expert” in the NRL ads.
Could there be anything more designed to irritate NRL and NSW horse racing supremo Peter V’landys more than his big hire enjoying a Melbourne race meet and talking up the AFL?
Possibly the amount of money the AFL paid for this generous endorsement. Not one dime.
Taking a breather
After four years in the hot seat as president of the National Press Club, veteran political journalist and writers’ festival fave Laura Tingle is taking a breather.
Tingle, who is chief political correspondent for ABC’s 7.30 and a staff-elected director on the public broadcaster’s board, announced her resignation last Friday, paving the way for Sky News’ Tom Connell to step up as the youngest club president.
Laura Tingle is stepping down as National Press Club president.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
But in this column, we’re more concerned about what all this means for Peter Dutton. The opposition leader has ducked and weaved his way out of visiting the Press Club this term – aside from an exclusive political fundraiser held by a lobbying group.
And if he heads to the polls without facing the music in that Canberra bubble institution, it will be quite the move.
Now, Dutton’s reticence is probably a political calculation – pissing off the gallery helps his anti-establishment credentials after all. But it’s fair to say there’s no love lost between him and Tingle.
The ABC journalist’s claims that Australia is a “racist country”, which kicked off weeks of unnecessary outrage, were made while discussing Dutton’s immigration policy at the Sydney Writers’ Festival last year.
Will her departure, and replacement with a Sky News man, make Dutton warm to the Press Club? His office wouldn’t say anything, but we note that both leaders are widening their repertoire of interviewers ahead of the election.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has shared a mic with the Betoota Advocate boys and former reality-TV contestant Abbie Chatfield, and appeared on a cricket podcast with former Test wicketkeeper Brad Haddin. Dutton was interviewed by Olympic diver Sam Fricker last month.
Both politicians have been guests of business bro Mark Bouris, Australia’s wannabe Joe Rogan. Which is all very nice, but if Dutton really wants to get out of his comfort zone, there are a bunch of dorks in Canberra who can’t wait to give him a proper grilling.