By Mario Xuereb
THE Labor-dominated Brimbank City Council passed up the chance last week to condemn the Howard Government’s industrial relations regime.
A motion condemning the controversial Work Choices laws, submitted by Greens councillor Miles Dymott, failed to gain a seconder at a council meeting.
None of Brimbank’s nine ALP councillors backed the motion, which lapsed without a formal vote.
Cr Dymott raised the motion when mayor Natalie Suleyman asked for any further business.
His two-part motion called on the council to write to the Federal Government condemning its IR laws, and stating that council believed the legislation would be “significantly detrimental” to the living standards of the residents of Brimbank.
Cr Suleyman called for a seconder to the motion.
And people in the gallery let out a collective groan when none of the other nine councillors raised a hand in support.
Cr Dymott then read the motion a second time – but still attracted no seconder.
Cr Suleyman said: “I take it there is no seconder, so the motion lapses.”
“Yet another disgrace,” Cr Dymott retorted.
However, Brimbank councillors with whom Star spoke last week said the motion was too vague to support.
Cr Suleyman called Cr Dymott’s motion a “motherhood statement” that needed to be more specific to Brimbank.
“Out in the West, the laws present some issues to our working families and the motion should have included more of that,” she said.
But Cr Suleyman said she agreed with Labor’s position on the IR laws.
Kathryn Eriksson, an independent councillor, said the motion was irrelevant, adding that she believed council should deal with council issues.
“We could condemn the government, but we could also condemn the opposition, too,” Cr Eriksson said.
“The point is that I don’t feel we’re here to do that, and our motions should be relevant to the area.”
Cr Eriksson said she also did not agree with the substance of Cr Dymott’s motion.
“The truth of the matter is, I can’t say whether or not it has been detrimental to Brimbank, we need more data.
“I certainly know that factories and workers in other areas have been affected, but for anything specific to Brimbank the motion should have included that.”
Cr Eriksson also doubted the usefulness of the motion.
“In the end, it would be seen as a Labor council attacking a Liberal government – they’d say big deal.”
Cr Dymott said his colleagues had adopted a defeatist attitude.
“I think Brimbank has a responsibility to add its voice to the broad opposition to these laws.
“Saying it will make no difference is defeatist, and a cop out,” he said.
The failed vote has certainly raised the eyebrows of senior Labor figures in Brimbank.
Gorton MP Brendan O’Connor, who chairs the Labor parliamentary task force on industrial relations, said he expected Brimbank to support the motion.
“Clearly we would expect that the municipality of Brimbank would overwhelmingly reject Work Choices, either by formal motion or other action,” Mr O’Connor said.
“I hope that the council has already formally rejected the Commonwealth laws.”
A Brimbank spokesman told Star no formal motion regarding the IR laws had ever been passed.
