Political stickers on council garbage bins will continue to be allowed, Blue Mountains City Council has decided.
The mayor, Mark Greenhill, who had a "Chuck them out" sticker on his own bin with former Prime Minister Scott Morrison's picture on it, asked council to allow the stickers before the last federal election to ensure other residents could do the same without penalty. It was unanimously supported.
And at the last council meeting in July, council was told the stickers could continue - but not before some heavy debate ensued.
Liberal Cr Roza Sage asked council to strongly oppose the stickers on residential garbage bins.
"We believed it [stickers on bins] would be harmless but what ensued was highly offensive ... ugly slogans ... not only on bins, but public assets. I had complaints from my community ... it's the thin edge of the wedge ... stickers on bins will remain for years to come," she said.
Cr Sage asks: Where does it end?
Cr Sage added: "Where does political banter versus personal attack begin and end? Where is the kindness and love of fellow man in all this that is so often preached. Where does this end? I say it can end here, in this chamber, by rejecting any further permission to allow political stickers on residential bins."
The Ward 3 councillor, and former State Member of Parliament, was only supported by Ward 1 Liberal Cr Kevin Schreiber, who said since the election he had had "a number of complaints about the visual pollution".
Mayor Mark Greenhill denied anything was offensive with the election stickers and said he had experienced far worse, after surviving (alongside his family) a decade-long anonymous web campaign against him, a former council deputy mayor and the sitting Labor state member.
"What we saw in the last federal election was nothing," the mayor said. "If there is anything offensive it will be removed and a policy will come forward after the state election."
Cr Myles says: It's hypocrisy
Former Liberal and now Independent Cr Daniel Myles also came out swinging in response to Cr Sage's speech. He reminded the council no kindness had been shown to him by the Liberal party or by Cr Sage as part of what he saw as a campaign by a pro-development faction in the lead-up to the last council elections to oust him.
"I would remind Cr Sage when she speaks about kindness or harassment ... I tried to keep politics ethical and yet that was opposed ... so please pay no mind to what this councillor says it's absolutely unacceptable, the hypocrisy."
Greens Crs Sarah Redshaw and Brent Hoare and Labor Cr Suzie van Opdorp spoke in favour of the stickers.
The only other Liberal on council, Ward 4 Cr Brendan Christie, chose to abstain from the vote, adding he "couldn't give a toss what residents put on their bins, they're filthy containers ... I'd prefer if we stuck to [their use as] the old cricket wickets in the street".
