Council meetings and public galleries: debating transparency and …

Over the last 48 hours, some in the local government sector have voiced concerns about council meetings being ambushed by aggressive protesters.

From what I’ve seen and heard speaking to other councillors, there is a combative approach to these protesters, but actually from left wing dominated councils based on the beliefs of the protesters.

At Monash since January this year, we have had peaceful protesters attend meetings, and ask questions in a respectful way on controversial issues like 5G towers and smart cities.

Some call them conspiracy theorists. But at Monash, many of them are just local residents that I have come to know over many years of being active in the community.

That they have been turning up to council meetings is a good sign.

I get concerned when people don’t turn up to council meetings because apathy breeds contempt.

In fact I’ve always called for more scrutiny, not less, of local government.

It seems now when some scrutiny is applied, some councils want to take the easy approach and close off the public galleries. That is not democracy.

Anyone in elected office should welcome the opportunity to meet with and listen to their constituents.

When you refuse to or appear to dismiss their concerns without even speaking to them, of course, they will feel insulted and want to keep making the point to you.

Dismissing any concerns, especially sensitive and emotional ones agitates people further.

In ten years in the council business, I have met with thousands of people. Most of them just want to be heard and it is my job to listen. Not necessarily always agree, just listen.

Adjourning meetings, cancelling meetings or closing meetings to the public is not democratic. It wasn’t during Covid but obviously had to be done and I think it was appropriate under those circumstances.

Some say there is a right of council meetings to be conducted safely.

From the public reports, the protesters have attended and let’s say for the sake of argument, “disrupted”, only a small number of Victoria’s 78 councils, with the number at about a dozen.

At the Monash meeting on April 26, Victoria Police say no arrests were made. A decision was made to adjourn the meeting which left no focus of those in the building. Once the meeting continued, it didn’t take long for the protest in the building to die down. About 70 per cent of those in attendance left the meeting.

The public gallery exists because council meetings belong to the ratepayers and residents of each council, not to councillors and council staff.

Councils, particularly council CEO’s would love to have less scrutiny of council business and decision making. It is common for councils to designate controversial items as being confidential under the Act, therefore allowing matters to be discussed behind closed doors.

I fear some councils will exaggerate the protest problem to justify a ban on the public attending meetings. Anyone who waves that through will be committing an offence against democracy.

It comes down to this fundamental point, people have the right to protest and that should never change.

Theo Zographos is a Member of the Monash City Council and former Liberal party candidate.