It was the type of motion that comes up at Byron Council quite regularly – a broad, uncontroversial political statement that is unlikely to make a difference in the grand scheme of things.
But when there’s a local election coming up, the typical can very quickly become political.
And so it was with a motion put by Deputy Mayor and Greens mayoral candidate, Sarah Ndiaye, at last week’s Council meeting.
Cr Ndiaye moved that Council note the findings of a year-old report on food security, write to six different state government ministers asking them to take action, and explore what might be done to address the issue locally.
A jostling match
Seems pretty benign, right? Yet, five minutes after moving it, Cr Ndiaye’s motion had become the forum for a jostling match among the key candidates in the upcoming local council election.
‘This is a real indication of where we’re at,’ Cr Ndiaye said after an amendment to her motion made by mayoral opponent Michael Lyon was passed instead of her own.
‘We get to a point here where you’re close to an election… this is quite shameful,’ Cr Ndiaye said.
‘Shame on you.’
The discussion began in fairly uncontroversial fashion with Cr Ndiaye speaking in support of her motion.
The challenge of food security
‘I think we’re all aware, other than Cr Hunter, that there is some degree of challenge in terms of food security,’ Cr Ndiaye said.
‘This motion before us is an opportunity not just to advocate, but participate in a more sustainable food future in the Northern Rivers region.
‘We can join Clarence Valley, Ballina, Lismore and Kyogle in working toward better food security.’
But not everyone agreed.
Cr Alan Hunter, who will not contest the upcoming election, said he did not support the motion, and that the motion was akin to ‘dancing before the crowd because there’s an election coming up’.
This kicked off a spiteful 15 minutes of debate which was less than edifying.
Mayor Michael Lyon, who is battling Cr Ndiaye to retain his current leadership position at the September 14 election, agreed with Cr Hunter and described the motion as ‘virtue signalling’.
Virtue signals
‘I’m not here to virtue signal, I’m here to get things done,’ Cr Lyon said.
Crs Lyon and Hunter moved an amendment which effectively amounted to a substantially cut-down version of Cr Ndiaye’s motion, proposing that Council note the findings of two recent food security reports and write to the NSW agriculture minister requesting a response.
They had the numbers, with Cr Lyon’s running mate Cr Mark Swivel (independent) joining Labor Cr Asren Pugh and independent Cr Peter Westheimer in voting for the amendment.
On the other side was Cr Ndiaye, outgoing Greens councillor Duncan Dey, Independent Cr Cate Coorey and Cr Sama Balson, also an independent.
Less than impressed
Cr Ndiaye was less than impressed about her original motion being amended.
‘This is what you’ve got to look forward to,’ Cr Ndiaye said in relation to her political opponents.
‘These people who are all willing to butter each other’s bread and wipe the crumbs off each other’s faces and make each other look good. Shame on you.
‘It’s really good to see whether you want to have a collaborative Council that’s willing to work on values and principles, or whether they’re all just willing to back each other for each other’s advantage.
‘Shame on you.’
The other councillors did not respond to Cr Ndiaye’s comments.
The amended motion was passed by five votes to four.
Food security motion watered down
A watered-down motion by the mayor was adopted after the following items from Cr Sarah Ndiaye’s motion were removed.
It asked Council to:
Include questions regarding food and water security in the Community Strategic Plan engagement process to understand community lived experience in the Byron LGA.
Advocate to the NSW Reconstruction Authority for future possible use of buyback properties for urban and small-scale agriculture in the Byron LGA.
Provide a briefing to Council by August 2024 outlining current constraints and the mechanisms that could be considered to enable small-scale urban agriculture in the Byron LGA. (Ndiaye/Dey)
The mayor’s adopted motion notes the findings and recommendations of various food security studies and plans, and asks Council to write to the minister for agriculture requesting the government’s response to the inquiry.
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