An apology demanded from Council

Richard payne

Oak Flats resident and Vietnam veteran Bernie Payne has instructed his lawyers to write to Shellharbour City Council demanding a written apology after being unfairly removed from a council meeting.

Mr Payne and Oak Flats activist Peter Moran were forcibly escorted from the February 26 meeting after being asked in writing by general manager Brian Weir not to attend the meeting due to “unacceptable conduct in the council chambers” at the final meeting in 2007.

Both Mr Payne and Mr Moran claimed that despite being asked to leave the 2007 meeting, there was no jurisdiction under council charter that could ban them from future assemblies.

Backing up this claim the Department of Local Government (DLG) recently issued a letter to council stating the pair should have been allowed to attend the meeting, saying there was no grounds for the action the council took which resulted in Mr Moran being escorted to the watch house by four police officers.

“This is certainly a further embarrassment to council. They have egg on their faces,” Mr Payne said.

“I told them before the meeting that I would be attending and that there was nothing they could do to stop me yet they refused to listen.

“I want a written apology for the unnecessary action they took.”

Mr Payne believes both councillors and the general manager should have been more aware of the rules, labelling the incident an absolute disgrace.

“The meeting started over an hour late after they got rid of Peter and I and for what?

“I cannot believe that not one of the councillors or the general manager knew enough about the rules to know what they were doing was illegal.”