A northern Tasmanian council was forced to suspend a meeting this week after reportedly disruptive behaviour from attendees led to police being called in.
Kentish Council’s July meeting was put on hold for an hour last night after Tasmania Police removed a person from the chamber.
Mayor Kate Haberle said officers escorted out a “person who is temporarily not permitted to attend council meetings”.
In a statement, Haberle said she was disappointed by what she described as the “divisive and disruptive actions of a very small number of individuals”.
“Let’s be clear – this isn’t about shutting down voices,” she said. “In fact, Kentish Council has been actively engaging with these community representatives on their concerns for over six months.”
“But while we welcome robust discussion, council has a responsibility to balance the interests of the broader community, uphold respectful conduct and operate within the limits of its authority.”
Exactly what happened during the meeting has not yet been made public, as neither audio nor any recording of the proceedings has been released.
Haberle said the council has a zero-tolerance policy for aggressive, intimidating or violent behaviour towards councillors and staff.
She said anyone attending council meetings must follow the policy and other guidelines when dealing with the council or risk consequences.
“Disruption of our council meetings prevents the good and important work of council from occurring,” she said.
