A ban on council boycotts?
BOYCOTTS against Israel by local councils could be banned in NSW after the Local Government Association of NSW (LGA) voted to ask the government to intervene.
BOYCOTTS against Israel by local councils could be banned in NSW after the Local Government Association of NSW (LGA) voted to ask the government to intervene.
A motion was passed at the LGA annual general meeting last week to request that the NSW government either legislate, or in some cases advise councils, that it is not their role to become involved in trade sanctions against the Jewish State or any other country.
The vote came in the wake of the furore surrounding Marrickville Council’s support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.
LGA president Keith Rhoades said there was a vibrant debate, but then the proposal passed.
“There were mixed views on the motion because some felt that it impacted on freedom of speech and a council’s ability to represent their community,” Rhoades said.
He told The AJN that he would now formulate a letter and ask the NSW Minister for Local Government, Don Page, to act on the motion.
Although a spokesperson for the minister’s office said he could not comment until the office received the letter, he noted that NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell immediately asked Marrickville to withdraw its campaign against Israel when the Liberal Party was voted into government earlier this year.
The proposed motion came less than a year after Marrickville Council attempted to participate in the BDS campaign against Israel.
Marrickville former Greens mayor Fiona Byrne was forced to abandon the proposal when it was revealed that it would cost Marrickville Council taxpayers more than $3 million.
But the new Marrickville mayor, independent Morris Hanna, has a very different view of BDS. “I don’t want any boycotts against anyone,” Hanna said. “I’m happy the motion passed because councils should stick to local issues and deliver for their local residents.”
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Vic Alhadeff welcomed the LGA motion.
“The Local Government Association is to be applauded for recognising the inappropriateness of local councils taking positions on issues which fall outside their electoral mandate, as Marrickville controversially did late last year,” Alhadeff said.
“This resolution reflects the sentiments of the people of Marrickville and the rest of NSW, who made their feelings abundantly clear on the issue.”
JOSHUA LEVI
NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell (pictured at an Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce function) intervened earlier this year when Marrickville Council attempted to boycott Israel. Picture: Ingrid Shakenovsky
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