Just flag waving
LOCAL councils are very specific organisations.
Their brief or remit you would have thought was fairly simply: keep the rate at a reasonable level, look after the roads they are responsible for and collect the rubbish on a regular basis.
Yes, I’m over simplifying but you get the drift.
In those lucky councils that actually have democratically elected councillors to represent the ratepayers — unlike Geelong — they all work at doing their best.
Many have other jobs and also put in 40 to 60 extra hours a week into their civic duties.
Hard work — and often thankless and under appreciated.
It’s OK, don’t reach for the tissues just yet I’m not having “a road to Damascus” like conversion on all things council.
On Monday of this week in the Addy we were treated to yet another story of LGBT (lesbian/bisexual/gay/transgender) solidarity and support for same-sex marriage, this time from the Surf Coast Shire council.
As a passing thought I did wonder why we didn’t get that other acronym, LBGTQA, so as to include the Q, questioning and A, allied.
To all sandwich makers out there, don’t panic. If someone asks for a BLT, at this moment in time, I’m told you will still just need the good old standards of bacon, lettuce, tomato and two slices of bread. That’s a relief.
Essentially, this is simply a story of the council wanting to express its support for same-sex marriage equality, and it started with this agenda item for last Wednesday’s council meeting: ‘I, Councillor Rose Hodge give notice that I intend to move the following motion: That Surf Coast Shire Council flies the Rainbow Flag continuously from May 17, 2017 (IDAHOT Day) until formal acceptance of marriage equality by the Federal Government.”
On Wednesday this week the councillors voted 4-3 in support of the motion. So the rainbow flag will be flying outside the headquarters in three weeks.
I have written in support of same-sex marriage for more than a decade, and like the majority of the population cannot believe that it hasn’t been legalised.
However I cannot for the life of me think why the Surf Coast council is even bothering to waste time and energy on this motion.
Sure, if you have to raise it for the day of the IDAHOT (International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia) then feel free to do so but for it to be a permanent feature of the council’s social policy is pure rubbish and inappropriate.
Geelong council raised the Rainbow flag for the day in May of 2015 courtesy of Cr Jan Farrell who said at the time: “This sends a strong message that the City of Greater Geelong is proud to support all the LGBTI members of our community.” I can still remember the collective expelling of sighs of relief reverberating around the world at that one.
Cr Hodge’s championing of “marriage equality, irrespective of sex or gender identity” is both laudable and socially worthy.
The public’s answer, time after time in vox populi and official surveys, is a resounding yes to the right of those of the same-sex persuasion to unite in a legally sanc- tioned ceremony. Yes, yes, yes. So I have no problem with Cr Hodge voicing her opinion but I do have a problem with her involving the ratepayers and other councillors in this debate. When we had the same debate in Geelong, Cr Stretch Kontejl said: “I don’t believe it’s a matter appropriate for debate in the chamber, it’s not a local government issue, it’s for state and federal governments. There’s been no opportunity to consult, no public debate, how do we know the views of our residents? “To bring (the motion) in this way is unfortunate and ... I wouldn’t want to see council used as a forum for hobby horse issues.” In a letter to the Addy on Monday, Cr Heather Wellington of the Surf Coast Shire said: “Councillors can contribute to social and political change at state or federal level using their personal resources if they choose to do so.” Well put. The issue is a complete irrelevancy and should not be allowed to occupy either oxygen or precious paper within council chambers. To all at council, get on with the job of looking after the shire and leave peripheral issues, in which you have no input, to those that have. So for acronym loving ’philiacs, and to all councillors, concentrate on RRR — roads, rate and rubbish.