By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Greater Dandenong Council has voted down an anti-nuclear weapons motion for a second time, despite supporting the issue at a national conference last month.
More than 530 local councils unanimously passed a motion for Australia to sign and ratify the United Nations’ Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
The vote was staged at the Australian Local Government Association’s general assembly in Canberra in June.
Greater Dandenong mayor Angela Long voted in favour of the motion as the council’s delegate.
All 11 Greater Dandenong councillors attended the four-day conference at a cost of more than $25,000. None of them dissented.
In March, Greater Dandenong councillors had narrowly voted down the same ICAN Cities Appeal during their own council’s meeting.
On the back of the ALGA vote, Crs Eden Foster and Rhonda Garad revived the motion on 12 July.
Cr Foster said her colleagues had not taken the “opportunity to object (at the ALGA) if they wished”.
The federal Labor Party supported the treaty, and would sign it if elected to govern, she noted to her ALP-majority of colleagues.
Cr Foster also noted the nuclear warhead threats to residents’ loved ones overseas, the environmental impacts of nuclear testing and that the treaty was signed by a host of countries, major cities and US states.
Cr Garad said the ALGA endorsement showed the issue was a local government issue.
Councils were “leading the way” on issues such as climate change and mental health – such as the council last year declaring a climate emergency, she said.
“Local councils are indeed responsible for the safety of their citizens… This is an opportunity for councillors to show concern for their local citizens.”
In opposition, Cr Tim Dark said that the majority of ALGA motions were passed onto and “knocked down” by the Federal Government.
Such as the “ridiculous” policy for local governments to be recognised in Australia’s constitution, he said.
“Those sorts of ridiculous policies in which local government take an aggressive point of view without having proper consultation.
“That’s why the ALGA has one of the lowest actual acceptance of motions.”
He said residents wanted the council to support jobs and for crime levels to be controlled. Nuclear disarmament didn’t rate with them.
“They want the council to focus on what’s important to them, not political posturing or pandering.”
Cr Bob Milkovic said until Australia joined the “exclusive club” of nine nuclear-weaponised states, it was “pointless” for councils to debate such items.
Cr Sean O’Reilly said it was “binary” to say if the council supported the motion, it didn’t support jobs.
“Do we want to be seen as a council against the prohibition of nuclear weapons?”
The latest motion was supported by Crs Foster, Garad, Long and O’Reilly.
It was rejected by a majority of Crs Dark, Milkovic, Lana Formosa, Richard Lim, Jim Memeti and Sophie Tan.
Cr Loi Truong was not present.
