By Gabrielle Costa
GREENS councillor Janet Rice’s five-year run on the Metropolitan Transport Forum has come to an end after a majority of City of Maribyrnong councillors voted her off the committee – despite the fact that she chairs it.
Cr Rice was reduced to tears at last week’s council meeting after it was decided new councillor and Labor Party member Sel Sanli would take her place on the committee that she has chaired for the past four years.
Cr Rice said her removal had been orchestrated by the Labor Party for “political reasons” and that her colleagues on the MTF were “gobsmacked” by her ousting.
Nineteen councils are represented on the committee, which was established as an advocacy group on transport issues. It also has representatives from the transport industry as well as the State Government and environment groups.
Its goal is to promote better transport systems through debate, research and policy development.
Cr Rice told the meeting her position on the forum had given the Greens public exposure – and that was what had prompted Labor councillors to remove her.
“It’s an attack on the Greens and it’s and attack on me,” a furious Cr Rice said, adding that there would be “repercussions for a considerable time to come”.
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She was supported by Cr Dina Lynch, who noted the work Cr Rice had put into the committee.
“There are times when politics sickens me,” Cr Lynch said, adding that she and Cr Rice were from “opposite sides” of the political spectrum. “What we want is transition, orderly transition.” She said that could have been achieved by both councillors attending meetings for a set period.
Cr Sanli said he was “up for the challenge”. The motion to install him as the council’s representative on the forum came from Cr Catherine Cumming, who has no party affiliation.
Cr Cumming told the meeting that it was important for Cr Sanli to “cut his teeth” and that she was “offended” Cr Rice believed she was able to do a better job than other members of the council.
She went on to say that councillors who were appointed to external committees were there to represent the municipality – and not themselves or their own political interests.
“This is what happens when someone gets attached to a committee … We are not playing politics here,” Cr Cumming said.
However, the president of the Maribyrnong Truck Action Group, Peter Knight, said Cr Rice’s removal could not have come at a worse time.
“Janet has a wealth of experience in the role and her role has never been more important than now, just before the Eddington report (into transport links between the east and west of Melbourne) is to be released.
“Having her in that role was an absolute boon for our truck action group and the community of the inner West as a whole … it’s a real loss, and it’s totally perplexing. The community is not served by the machinations that have led to this decision,” Mr Knight said.
