SunRRA president Darlene Reilly and members John Hedditch, Brian Carroll and Garry Collins believed tonight’s meeting would be like any other.
“We’ll be there again asking questions which are about public liability, the proper use of ratepayers’ funds and the proper use of process and law to administer the council,” Mr Hedditch told Star last week.
The four received letters from Cr Suleyman two weeks ago telling them their frequent interjections at council meetings were considered unacceptable behaviour.
The letter stated that they should “show cause” in writing as to why they should not be declared prohibited persons.
All four sought legal advice and asked the council for an extension to respond.
A Brimbank City Council spokesperson said the council was “communicating with the people involved”.
A letter from Ms Reilly’s solicitor to the council stated that council had “failed to provide any basis for making such a threat”.
Council was also asked to provide “full particulars of powers and specific grounds for making the proposed declarations” and “certified copies of the relevant minutes of council” for the allegations.
Ms Reilly said she had never been ejected from a council meeting or fined for any breach of the Meeting Procedure Local Law.
“They can ban me, they can ban some of our members, but there will always be someone to replace us.
“And therefore they will never win in silencing a group of residents and ratepayers who are demanding accountability, transparency and improved services and facilities from their local council,” Ms Reilly said.
She added that many residents had approached the group, offering to take their place and ask questions at council meetings if the group was banned.
“One thing that the council needs to understand is that the people they are targeting are people of the community, that every one of us has family here.
“We belong to clubs and we talk to shopkeepers. They may attack us but the people that we know feel like protecting us and also feel like they’re being attacked as well,” Ms Reilly said.
Brian Walters, president of the Victorian Council for Civil Liberties, said it was rare for community members to be banned from council meetings.
“I’m gravely concerned at the way this could affect democracy,” Mr Walters said.
“It’s an offence to local democracy and to civil liberties because, unless a very good reason is shown, this is a way of silencing the descent of the community and its disapproval of what is being done.
“The message that communicates is that the elected representatives don’t want the community to know what they’re doing and certainly not to criticise them.”
A spokeswoman for the Department for Victorian Communities said council meetings were generally open to the public.
“The Local Government Act has provision for council to deal with certain matters themselves.
“It means that they can make decisions whether they want the public there or not.”
A spokesperson for Local Government Minister Candy Broad said councils might deal with “certain matters such as legal and contractual issues” in a closed part of the meeting.
“Councils are required to make local laws governing the conduct of meetings and, subject to those laws and the Local Government Act, the conduct of meetings are in the council’s discretion,” the spokesperson said.
