The Lismore City Council has voted to ‘rewrite’ its arts and cultural policy into a new Sport, Tourism, Culture and Art Policy.
The decision made at last week’s ordinary monthly council meeting was a variation on a motion originally put forward by Independent Councillor Big Rob.
Cr Rob’s original agenda motion called for four council policies to be removed, with accompanying notes describing them as ‘obsolete’.
They included one related to greenhouse gas emissions called an ‘Atmosphere Policy’ and an Arts and Cultural Policy.
The four policies nominated range in depth and detail, with one related to administration of private covenants featuring just one sentence, the Atmosphere Policy missing dates and the Arts and Cultural Policy having the most detail.
‘Art at a sports field,’ muses Cr Rob
By the time councillors came to vote on the agenda item last week, Cr Rob had amended his motion to include a second part rewriting the latter policy as a Sports, Tourism, Culture and Arts Policy.
‘I like it is because it’s kind of become a sport culture and art policy which incorporates that whole sort of area of, I guess, social sort of connection,’ Cr Rob said.
‘Instead of having a focus on art, which has upset a lot of people, we can shift the focus around a bit to include art and culture, we can add sport as well, and we can combine the two,’ he said.
‘You can have art at a sports field, I guess.’ Cr Rob said, ‘so see what happens with that, I’ll be interested to see how that policy can turn out’.
Policy removal lacks ‘good governance’ says Greens
Speaking against the amended motion and in favour of a failed foreshadowed motion from Labor Cr Jasmine Knight-Smith for council briefings yo be held to discuss policies ‘each time prior to presentation for a decision’, Greens Cr Virginia Waters described the process as lacking ‘good governance’.
‘Each policy has different content, history and implications,’ Cr Waters said, ‘it is unrealistic to expect councillors to make fully informed decision on all four at once without proper time or discussion’.
‘I want to ask my fellow councillors, have you read each of the policies in full?’ Cr Waters asked.
‘Have you considered whether the intent and protections in them are captured elsewhere in our frameworks? Are you satisfied you have done the due diligence needed to make an informed decision?’
Cr Waters said she was particularly concerned about the atmosphere policy and the arts and cultural policy.
But Cr Rob said the policies were so old and outdated that they ‘just need to go just on basis of the age’.
‘They’re not getting reviewed regularly,’ Cr Rob said. ‘we’re supposed to review these things every year’.
Biodiversity Strategy review happening
Cr Rob also added a third part to his motion on policy changes, calling for a review of the council’s Biodiversity Strategy ‘with a report to come to Council by March 2026’.
Partway through debate, staff brought the council’s attention to the fact they were already reviewing the biodiversity strategy, with a report due by the end of the year.
The motion remained as amended in the three parts calling for removal of four policies, a rewrite of one, and review of another.
Cr Andrew Bing seconded the motion, which won support from a majority of seven present councillors including Crs Battista, Dalton-Earls, Gordon, Hall, and Mayor Steve Krieg.
Crs Knight-Smith, Waters and Jensen voted against.
Greens Cr Adam Guise was absent.
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