Ewin’s conduct rebuke

A HOBART City Councillor has been found to have breached the council’s Code of Conduct after comparing a women’s rights group to Nazis.

Women Speak Tasmania filed a complaint against Holly Ewin in July over comments at a council meeting and posts on social media.

The group’s spokeswoman Bronwyn Williams said Cr Ewin had persisted with personal attacks against Women Speak Tasmania on social media and had not tried to engage with the group directly.

She said Cr Ewin had made false and defamatory comments about the women’s group on the Facebook page “Holly Ewin, Hobart City Councillor”, and again during the June 17 council meeting.

One of those comments included Cr Ewin using the word “Nazis” when referencing feelings towards the Women Speak Tasmania group and sharing a mobile phone number of one of the group’s members.

Ms Williams said Cr Ewin had misrepresented the group’s position on transgender issues and publicly accused it of promoting hate speech.

A Code of Conduct panel this week found Cr Ewin had breached part 7.1(b) of the City of Hobart Elected Member Code of Conduct, which says a councillor must not cause any reasonable person offence or embarrassment and part 8.6 — an elected member must show respect when expressing personal views publicly.

The panel found Ms Williams and fellow spokeswoman Isla MacGregor were “reasonably offended and embarrassed by the comments made by Cr Ewin.”

“The Facebook posts made by Cr Ewin were critical and unsubstantiated, showing the councillor’s lack of respect to the group WST and its spokespersons,” the panel’s report said.

“Section 28 of the [Local Government] Act requires councillors to represent their community, which implies that all groups within the community should be afforded the same level of treatment and respect.”

The panel sent a copy of a draft decision to the group and Cr Ewin this month for comment on possible sanctions.

Women Speak Tasmania requested a public apology, but Cr Ewin told the panel “no apology would be forthcoming.”

“The panel determined a public apology would be too severe a penalty, given the relative inexperience of Cr Ewin and the first-time nature of the complaint,” the report said.

The panel imposed a caution on Cr Ewin.