Council Meeting

21 April 2020

 

 

 

Minutes of Ordinary Council Meeting held on 21 April 2020 remotely and livestreamed on Council’s website.

 

Meeting commenced at 6.31pm

 

 

 

 

 

Present:

Darcy Byrne

Vittoria Raciti

Marghanita Da Cruz Mark Drury

Lucille McKenna OAM

Colin Hesse

Sam Iskandar

Tom Kiat

Pauline Lockie

Victor Macri

Julie Passas

Rochelle Porteous

John Stamolis

Louise Steer
Michael Deegan

Mayor

Deputy Mayor (6.33pm)

Councillor

Councillor

Councillor

Councillor

Councillor

Councillor

Councillor

Councillor

Councillor

Councillor

Councillor

Councillor

Chief Executive Officer

Ian Naylor

Manager Governance

Katherine Paixao

Governance Coordinator

 

APOLOGIES:       

 

Motion: (Byrne/Iskandar)

 

THAT apologies from Councillor York be accepted.

 

Motion Carried

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Da Cruz, Drury, Hesse, Iskandar, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, McKenna OAM, Passas, Porteous, Stamolis and Steer

Against Motion:          Nil

 

DISCLOSURES OF INTERESTS:           Nil

 

Councillor Raciti returned to the Meeting at 6:33 pm.

 

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES

 

Motion: (Da Cruz/Lockie)

THAT the Minutes of the Council Meeting held on Tuesday, 10 March 2020 and  Extraordinary Council Meeting held on Tuesday, 7 April 2020 be confirmed.

Motion Carried

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Da Cruz, Drury, Hesse, Iskandar, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, McKenna OAM, Passas, Porteous, Raciti, Stamolis and Steer

Against Motion:          Nil

 

 

 

C0420(2) Item 1            Notice of Motion to Rescind C0618 Item 5 Branding - 26 June        2018

Motion: (Stamolis)

 

THAT Council rescind C0618 Item 5 Branding.

 

The Mayor ruled this motion Out of Order as the resolution has been fully implemented.

 

C0420(2) Item 2            Notice of Motion: Council to consider holding Australia Day          Event

Motion: (Stamolis/Passas)

 

THAT Council:

 

1.   Receive a report on options (including funding) to create an Australia Day event within the Inner West that reflects the values of Council and the community; and

 

2.   Work with aboriginal peak groups to develop these options.

 

Motion Lost

For Motion:                 Crs Macri, Passas, Raciti and Stamolis,

Against Motion:           Crs Byrne, Da Cruz, Drury, Hesse, Iskandar, Kiat, Lockie, McKenna                                 OAM, Porteous and Steer

 

C0420(2) Item 3            Notice of Motion: NSW Auditor General: Report on Local      Government 2019

Motion: (Stamolis/Da Cruz)

 

THAT Council to receive a report back to the first meeting in May on the nature of the "numerous errors and disclosure deficiencies" in the Inner West Council financial statements as referred to in the recently released "Report on Local Government 2019".

 

Motion Carried

For Motion:                 Crs Da Cruz, Hesse, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, Passas, Porteous, Raciti, Stamolis and Steer

Against Motion:           Crs Byrne, Drury, Iskandar and McKenna OAM

 

C0420(2) Item 4            Notice of Motion: Support for Indigenous Communities         Opposing Fracking in the Northern Territory

Motion: (Steer/Drury)

 

THAT ALGA:

 

1.    Write to Origin Energy:

 

a)    Noting Inner West Council’s Power Purchase Agreement with Origin through SSROC, 20% of which is currently sourced from the Moree Solar Farm;

 

 

b)    Noting Inner West Council’s Climate Emergency Declaration, and in-principle support for net-zero emissions by 2030;

 

c)    Expressing our support for the Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory who have expressed their strong opposition to shale gas hydraulic fracturing extraction (fracking) due to the damage it will cause on their traditional lands; and

 

d)    Requesting that Origin Energy cease all plans to conduct fracking in the Northern Territory and elsewhere due to its impact on the climate, local communities, environment and water, and indigenous rights, and commit to further investment in environmentally and socially sustainable renewable energy projects.

 

2.    Write to Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) expressing support for City of Ryde’s motion in relation to Origin Energy’s fracking in the Northern Territory, noting that motions submitted to the ALGA conference in June will be reviewed by the ALGA Board in June 2020.

 

Motion Carried

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Da Cruz, Drury, Hesse, Iskandar, Kiat, Lockie, McKenna OAM, Porteous, Stamolis and Steer

Against Motion:           Crs Macri, Passas and Raciti

 

C0420(2) Item 5            Notice of Motion: Greek Precinct Marrickville and Dulwich Hill

Motion: (Iskandar/Drury)

 

THAT Council:

 

1.   Note the long-standing relationship between the Inner West community and residents of Greek Cultural Heritage;

 

2.   Consult with the Greek Consulate General regarding the naming of a Greek Precinct;

 

3.   Launch a community consultation about a Greek Precinct;

 

4.   Consult with the local Marrickville and Dulwich Hill Greek residents, organisations community and businesses regarding: 

 

a)   An appropriate geographic area for a formal Greek precinct; and

 

b)   An appropriate name for the precinct or precincts.

 

Motion Carried

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Da Cruz, Drury, Hesse, Iskandar, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, McKenna OAM, Passas, Porteous, Raciti, Stamolis and Steer

Against Motion:           Nil

 

 

 

 

C0420(2) Item 6            Notice of Motion: Religious Discrimination Bill

Motion: (Lockie/Steer)

 

THAT Council:

 

1.    Endorses Equality Australia’s Freedom from Discrimination Statement as listed in Attachment 1;

 

2.    Supports fair and equal discrimination laws, such as a Human Rights Act, that unite, rather than divide the community noting that:

 

a)     the current religious freedom debate scapegoats a range of people, particularly the LGBTQI community; and

 

b)    The Government's religious freedom review has contributed to continuing a homophobic political climate. 

 

3.    Writes to the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition, Attorney-General and Shadow Attorney-General to inform them that Inner West Council:

 

a)    Endorses Equality Australia’s Freedom from Discrimination Statement;

 

b)    Calls on the Federal Government to remove unbalanced provisions in the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill that threaten safe and inclusive workplaces, schools and services, and privilege individual religious beliefs over the rights of patients to high quality healthcare; and

 

c)    Supports fair and equal discrimination laws that unite, rather than divide, the community.

 

Motion Carried

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Da Cruz, Drury, Hesse, Iskandar, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, McKenna OAM, Porteous, Raciti, Stamolis and Steer

Against Motion:           Cr Passas

 

C0420(2) Item 7            Notice of Motion: WestConnex independent property impact         assessment panel

Motion: (Lockie/Steer)

 

THAT Council:

 

1.   Notes the recent media reports about the delays being experienced by residents who have made property damage compensation claims to the WestConnex independent property impact assessment panel;

 

2.   Writes to Transport for NSW to ask them to:

 

a)    Immediately rectify any issues with the independent property impact assessment panel process that are causing unnecessary delays;

 

b)    Publish its timeline for assessing property claims, including the timeframe that applies to the independent property impact assessment panel process, on the Transport for NSW and WestConnex websites as soon as possible; and

 

c)    Ensure that all claims for property damage arising from WestConnex construction are dealt with fairly, transparently and without delay.

 

3.    Writes to the Minister for Transport to:

 

a)    Express our deep concern about recent reports of the delays being experienced by residents who have made property damage compensation claims to the WestConnex independent property impact assessment panel, particularly given the large number of residents within the Inner West who will be impacted by the construction of the WestConnex M4-M5 Link Rozelle Interchange and Iron Cove Link;

 

b)    Call on him to ensure that:

 

i.    Any issues that exist within the independent property impact assessment panel process that are causing unnecessary delays are rectified without delay;

 

ii.   The timeline for making claims for property damage, including the timeframe that applies to the independent property impact assessment panel process, is published on the Transport for NSW and WestConnex websites as soon as possible; and

 

iii.  All claims for property damage arising from WestConnex construction are dealt with fairly, transparently and without delay.

 

4.     Develop options to advocate more strongly on behalf of residents.

 

Motion Carried

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Da Cruz, Drury, Hesse, Iskandar, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, McKenna OAM, Passas, Porteous, Raciti, Stamolis and Steer

Against Motion:           Nil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Urgency Motion – Lights in Parks

Councillors Byrne and Porteous requested that an Urgency Motion be considered on Lights in Parks.

 

Motion: (Byrne/Porteous)

 

THAT the matter be considered urgently.

 

Motion Carried

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Da Cruz, Drury, Hesse, Iskandar, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, McKenna OAM, Passas, Porteous, Raciti, Stamolis and Steer

Against Motion:          Nil

 

The Mayor ruled this matter urgent.

 

Urgency Motion: (Byrne/Porteous)

THAT Council turns on the floodlights at Algie Park, Birchgrove Oval; Blackmore Oval; Centenary Park; Cohen Park; Easton Park; Henson Park; King George Park; Leichhardt Oval 2; Marrickville Park; Petersham Oval; Pratten Park; Steel Park and Tempe Reserve from 4.30pm every day so that the parks have the same illumination that they would have if the sporting clubs were using the sporting fields at this time of the year. This measure will continue for the length of the COVID-19 virus crisis or until the sporting clubs take over their responsibility in turning the lights on and off for evening training and games.

 

Motion Carried

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Da Cruz, Drury, Hesse, Iskandar, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, McKenna OAM, Passas, Porteous, Raciti, Stamolis and Steer

Against Motion:          Nil

 

 Meeting closed at 8.28pm.

 

 

 

 

The Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Council held on the 21st day of April, 2020 were confirmed as a correct record on this  28th day of April, 2020.

 

 

 

..............................................

CHAIRPERSON