By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
CASEY Council was forced to dissolve its meeting on Tuesday after a controversial notice of motion was put forward.
An alternative motion will now be submitted again tonight (Thursday).
Cr Rosalie Crestani put forward a motion which sought to stop council from issuing media releases and remove signs concerning sexual orientation or the lesbian, gay, bi, trans and intersex (LGBTI) community.
Cr Crestani, also a candidate for the Rise Up Australia Party (RUAP) also sought to abolish council’s LGBTI diversity training program.
When the motion was not seconded and subsequently lapsed, Deputy Mayor Louise Berkelmans put forward an alternative motion affirming council support for the LGBTI community.
But Cr Sam Aziz left the meeting in protest when a put motion was moved by Cr Gary Rowe for the alternative motion, which Cr Aziz said prevented “free speech”.
“My personal view (on Cr Crestani’s motion) is irrelevant. The fact is there is state and federal legislation against any type of discrimination,” he said.
“People will have personal views and they are entitled to them, they are superfluous.
“I will be respectfully ask Cr Rowe to withdraw his put motion and allow debate and if he doesn’t do it we will then move a rescission to allow that alternative motion to be debated.
“There should be a discussion about it, we should not be gagged from that.
“It’s no longer a motion about homosexuality, it’s a motion about free speech.”
Sex Party candidate for South-East Metro Martin Leahy, who attended Tuesday’s meeting, criticised Cr Crestani’s original motion.
“The LGBTI community experiences incidence of mental health at rates three to four times higher than the general population,” he said.
“Suicide in the LGBTI community is up to five times that of the general population.
“The Australian Sex Party recognise that this community need specific services and adequate access to mainstream services where appropriate, in order to address these serious problems.
“It is also incredibly disappointing to see my own council representative use her position for an election stunt.”
