A Tasmanian Greens senator has taken his frustrations with the Launceston City Council’s decision to block a Palestinian flag light display to federal parliament.
Senator Peter Whish-Wilson this week voiced his disappointment over the council’s last-minute reversal on plans to project red, green and white onto Launceston Town Hall earlier this month.
He told the Senate he had twice written to council leaders seeking an explanation, but received no response.
“The Palestinian flag is a powerful and hopeful symbol for a pathway forward for peace,” he said.
“So how can a light show projecting a Palestinian flag that promotes peace and a pathway forward to peace be controversial or not in the community’s interest or promoting community unity?”
The senator also criticised what he called a lack of leadership at the local level for the people of the Middle East.
“If leaders at a local government level, at a state government level and here in federal parliament don’t stand up for these innocent Palestinians and for a long-term pathway for peace, then I don’t know who will,” he said.
Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood defended the council’s stance on social media, saying local government should not “pick sides” in international conflicts.
He said suggestions the decision was a “moral failing” showed a “misunderstanding of what local government exists to do”.
“Our role as a local council is to serve all members of our community, not to turn public infrastructure into a political battleground,” Garwood said.
“The decision around the light projection was not about silencing anyone or taking a stance on the tragedy in Gaza.”
“It was about ensuring that council remains consistent and fair, avoiding a precedent where one group’s grief, cause or anger is elevated above others.”
“We don’t light our buildings for every international crisis, no matter how horrific, unless there is direction from bipartisan support as a nation! Isn’t that the role of those federally elected?”
“We’ll continue to focus on what we can do, serving our city, supporting our community and creating the kind of place where people feel safe, heard and cared for.”
