Emotions ran high at Tuesday night’s Hobsons Bay council meeting as motions relating to the conflict in Gaza were debated before a packed public gallery.
A member of the gallery was thrown out and the meeting repeatedly adjourned as debate on the three motions from deputy mayor Rayene Hawli, threatened to boil over.
With mayor Daria Kellander an apology, Cr Hawli chaired the meeting as deputy, but had to vacate when her motions were debated, with Cr Kristen Bishop presiding instead.
Proceedings quickly became rowdy as Cr Lisa Bentley moved an amendment to Cr Hawli’s first motion expressing solidarity with members of the community affected by the Gaza conflict.
Cr Bentley wanted a sentence calling on council to acknowledge “the pain, suffering and trauma of many residents of Hobsons Bay, who have lost loved ones over the last 22 months in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria,” to also include Israel, while demanding figures referring to the number Palestinians killed and injured be removed from the motion as they couldn’t be verified.
After an adjournment, Cr Bentley’s amendment was voted down 4-2 with only Cr Michael Disbury joining her in support.
In moving the substantive motion, Cr Hawli said she was responding to a call that had been coming from the local community for more than two years.
“A call to recognise the pain suffering they’ve been experiencing,” said Cr Hawli.
Cr Bentley said while she felt for those upset by the conflict, the situation in Gaza was well beyond council’s remit and that passing the motion would be divisive.
“I have receive numerous emails from people in our community who did not want us to do this,“ Cr Bentley told the chamber to boos and heckling from the gallery.
“It divides our council, it divides our community.”
A member of the public was then ejected and the meeting again adjourned, before Cr Hawli’s motion was finally carried 4-2 to cheers from the gallery.
A second motion calling for a review to ensure council did not do business with firms linked to human rights abuses in Gaza, was also carried, but a third motion demanding council advocate to federal government on the issue, narrowly failed.
