Lismore councillor Big Rob looks likely to be referred twice to the Office of Local Government (OLG) for investigation around his conduct.
Responding to The Echo on the topic via a social media post, Big Rob said, ‘I was referred to the OLG following a Facebook post criticising Janine Wilson’s targeting of me in March 2024, which Council resolved to do in November 2024, just after the September 2024 election, where I was heavily critical of those who then voted to censure and refer me’.
Meanwhile, NSW Greens MLC Sue Higginson recently spoke in parliament under parliamentary privilege, calling for his conduct to be investigated by the Office of Local Government (OLG).
Higginson said, ‘On the next sitting day, I will ‘move 1), that this house notes a) Lismore City councillor Big Rob has a long history of bullying and misogynistic behaviour, both in person and online’.
‘b) councillor Big Rob has abused his position as councillor and has:
‘1) encouraged men that are his social media followers to target and harass women in the community.
‘2) singled out women and other people in the community for regular personal insults and harassment.
‘3) undermined critical community services that exist to support women and families that are leaving or attempting to leave domestic and family violence.
‘4) encouraged and endorsed vigilanteism against community members including justifying violent behaviour.
‘5) online stalking of journalists who report on his conduct.
‘6) frequently used ableist attacks such as quote “leftard” when referring to anyone that disagrees with him.
‘7) threatened people online with reprisals if they do not stay out of his way.
‘8) used legal threats including the service of papers as a way to intimidate and threaten community members who are critical of him.
‘9) regularly implied or declared that women are mentally unwell or require medication when they criticise him.
’10) claimed to be the victim of harassment by Greens and Labor members as a result of complaints regarding his conduct that have been lodged against him.
’11) suggested that women who are critical of him are sexually, or intimately attracted to him.
’12) targeted gender diverse and the lesbian gay bisexual intersect and queer people for mockery and harassment.
’13) called First Nations Native titleholders racist for conducting welcome to country ceremonies.
’14) referred to community organisations assisting in flood recovery as disaster capitalists and,
’15) often posted photos of women and encouraged offensive language and mocked of their appearance and,
‘c) The record of this councillors public comments contained in this motion have all occurred within the last six months’, she said.
Higginson then referred to the model code of conduct for NSW, and asked for the house to support her calls for Cr Rob to be found in breach of the conduct, and to call on the Office of Local Government to investigate his conduct.
Big Rob response
In response, Cr Rob has attacked Higginson multiple times online, saying she ‘unsuccessfully ran for The Greens against Janelle Saffin for the seat of Lismore in 2019; was selected by The Greens to fill a vacancy in the Legislative Council without facing election, a vacancy which only came up in 2022 after David Shoebridge resigned from the Legislative Council; and although never elected herself, is using her gifted political position and parliamentary privilege to target and try to publicly defame, belittle, insult, accuse, and otherwise take down a political opponent who she cannot control, an opponent who has actually faced elections and was elected twice without spending a cent on campaigns’.
‘This is how Sue Higginson and The Greens do democracy, and it further reflects what Sue Higginson and The Greens actually think of abiding by the law and accepting lawful processes’.
‘What an absolute disgrace for an experienced lawyer to use her position as a politician representing The Greens and her parliamentary privilege to ignore and circumvent all legislation, decided outcomes and lawful procedures, to launch a defamatory attack against me in a forum I cannot speak, in yet another desperate attempt to discredit me, just to assist her misguided and delusional political colleagues’.
‘Happy to take on the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly. I am clearly doing something right’, he wrote.
While Cr Rob says he will not comment to The Echo, he gave an extensive interview with the Ballina News Daily.
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