‘Dribbling blood’: Council meeting involving serial pest ends in brawl

A council meeting in Cooma has ended in “absolute chaos” as serial pest councillor turned federal election candidate Andrew Thaler was caught up in a brawl that left another man “dribbling blood” from his arm.

The meeting took place a day after Thaler received a notice from the Office of Local Government, which, he told his social media followers, accused him of a serious breach of conduct and proposed “quite a draconian action against me.”

The investigation involved alleged breaches of a performance improvement order, which was made after 19 misconduct complaints against him over two months – including calling the mayor a “dog arse c---” – and amid concerns his behaviour was causing health and safety issues for staff.

Andrew Thaler (left) at a Snowy Monaro Regional Council meeting, in Cooma in 2024.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Five councillors walked out of the Thursday evening meeting after Thaler put forward a motion calling on council to inspect his neighbour’s property. He has been in a long-running feud with the owners and he has taken out an apprehended violence order against one of them.

“The property is a veritable eyesore and a fire hazard,” his motion said. Other councillors argued the motion was unlawful, given Thaler’s personal relationship with the property owners. When Thaler disputed the decision, five councillors walked out to prevent a quorum.

The brawl broke out after the meeting was over. Thaler’s version, given to his social media followers via video, differs from those of other councillors who witnessed the melee and described their version of events to the Herald. Thaler denies any role in instigating the brawl, and any rough conduct by him.

Tanya Higgins (right, pictured with neighbour Bronnie Taylor) witnessed the alleged incident.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

After the meeting, some councillors claim, a friend of Thaler’s used his phone to film a spectator – a man there with his wife. She applied for an AVO against Thaler several years ago, and had also been one of the people who organised for him to be banned from several premises, including the Country Women’s Association, in Nimmitabel and Cooma last year.

The man apparently being filmed then allegedly asked the man with the phone raised to stop, and when he did not, took the phone and went to put it down on a table.

Councillor Lynda Summers claimed that at this point, both Thaler and his friend sought to apprehend the person who had snatched the phone.

Summers, who is a former police officer, says a staff member pulled the three men apart and she stepped in to keep things calm. “My instincts kicked in. That defused the situation in the moment, but a short time later, Thaler returned and pushed him in the chest. It was completely unprovoked,” she alleged.

The arm of the man who had grabbed the phone was injured and bled. It is not clear exactly how the man’s arm came to be injured.

An excerpt from one of the banning notices sent to Thaler by several premises in Nimmitabel and Cooma last yearCredit: Fairfax Media

In Councillor Tanya Higgins’ recollection, the man told the person allegedly filming him, “I’m Aboriginal and I do not give my consent”, but his objection was ignored so he grabbed the phone and tried to put it on a desk. The owner of the phone and Thaler each grabbed one of the man’s arms.

She said Summers and another person intervened, and then Thaler returned and appeared to push the man. “[The man was left with a] gouge in his arm, and it’s bleeding,” Higgins told the Herald. “It all happened so quickly.”

Police took statements from those at the scene, but no charges have been laid.

Thaler published a video giving his version of events on Friday morning. He said the man was being “really aggressive” and snatched his friend’s camera and “went to run for the exit”, so “I moved across the room and prevented [him] from leaving the room,” Thaler told his followers.

Thaler and his friend each held one of the man’s arms, “so that he couldn’t swing a punch,” said Thaler. “I was attacked by a range of people … we were able to control [the scene] and get the phone back.” The man they held “sustained a cut to his arm … it was dripping blood, dribbling blood, and he intimated it was my fault.”

He accused the man of wiping his blood on him, and showed the blood on his arm to his followers before swabbing it and putting it in a bag to offer as evidence.

Thaler was elected to Snowy Monaro Regional Council in September with 111 first-preference votes, despite a history of harassing members of the community, particularly women, on his social media accounts. He is now running for the federal seat of Eden Monaro as an independent.

NSW upper house National Party MP Nichole Overall – who has, like many female leaders in the region, been the subject of crude insults by Thaler (he once described her as a “gross, wallowing in the trough, pig”) – recently told NSW parliament that his behaviour undermined the integrity of local government.

Thaler responded on social media, writing, “No convictions Bitch”, as well as a series of other disparaging remarks about the MP.

In a statement, police confirmed they were called to the Cooma council building at 6pm on Thursday, and were told three men – aged 52, 59 and 64 – had a physical altercation, in which one sustained a minor arm injury. Police are investigating.

When asked if he had further comment, Thaler told the Herald; “I have a lawyer. Go f--- yourself.”

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