The City of Hobart has admitted to directly discriminating against councillor Louise Elliot when she attempted to book a public venue for a women’s rights event in her personal capacity.
In a report to be presented at a special council meeting on Wednesday night, CEO Michael Stretton said staff assumed Elliot would be discussing transgender people in sport and that anti-trans activist Posie Parker would be speaking at the event.
This assumption led to Elliot being denied the booking in September 2023 and lied to about the availability of Town Hall, a decision that Stretton said was made without “proper and due process”.
“Council staff made an incorrect assumption about the nature of the event … and failed to seek further information that would have corrected that assumption,” he said.
“Council staff had led Louise Elliot to believe, falsely, that no improper conduct had occurred in relation to her attempts to book the Town Hall Ballroom.”
The report acknowledges that a payout, the figure of which was not disclosed, was made over the incident and that it was covered by council’s professional indemnity insurance at “no direct cost” to ratepayers.
“On behalf of the council, I apologise for any stress, anxiety, frustration, embarrassment and inconvenience caused by the conduct that has been outlined in this report,” Stretton said.
“Subject to satisfying the usual terms and conditions of hiring the Town Hall Ballroom, Louise Elliot ought to have been able to host her event in the Town Hall Ballroom.”
He said complaints that Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds leaked details of the booking to an individual outside of the organisation were “not a relevant consideration” for the report as it occurred after the blocking had happened.
“As I write this report, I feel confident in saying that these events are a legacy issue, which will not be repeated by this organisation,” he said.
“I have observed the culture of the organisation already starting to shift and I believe that with the quality of people that exist across the organisation at all levels, I can only see this continuing to improve into a constructive culture in which people are proud to work for and be represented by the City of Hobart.”
“The community can be assured that this matter has been treated seriously and thoroughly investigated through the mechanisms available.”
Louise Elliot said the “depth of the lying, scheming, gaslighting, privacy breaches and frustration of legal avenues and processes” was “astounding”.
“Things like this don’t happen in places that have a healthy culture … I’m determined to ensure the Hobart City Council becomes a place that people can trust,” she said.
