By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
THE bread has been broken between Nina Springle and Rosalie Crestani in a lunch at Parliament House this week after the Greens MP slammed the Casey councillor for her recent involvement in last month’s Reclaim Australia rally.
Thursday’s lunch was attended by both women and three representatives from the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) after Ms Springle, the South Eastern Metropolitan Region’s Greens MP, said Cr Crestani should be “condemned” for participating in the rally.
When Cr Crestani hit back at Ms Springle’s criticism, the MP invited her to lunch with the ICV, acknowledging the pair’s “very different views on the Muslim community” but stating she hoped to “move past unhelpful conflicts”.
Cr Crestani said the two-hour meeting, which her husband Anthony also attended, was “respectful” and no-one was offended by the discussion, which included topics ranging from the prophet Mohammed, to abortion and Sharia Law.
“I expressed to them all that I did feel their genuine desire to build bridges and feel most of whom they represent share the same ideals,” she said.
“However, I expressed further concern that the undeniable fundamentalist Muslim element stands as an existential threat to the security of our Australian people.
“For it only takes a minor element to wreak enormous havoc in the form of a terrorist attack for instance.”
But the Casey Councillor said “there must always be room for diplomacy”.
Speaking in August, Cr Crestani distanced herself and Reclaim Australia from some of the more extreme right-wing protesters at the rally, including a man with Nazi tattoos who joined the anti-Islam protesters.
She said if Reclaim Australia was perceived as “racist” it was due to media coverage of the event and “not from our end”.
Ms Springle’s office did not respond to questions before deadline.
