A BAD week for Newcastle council has continued with councillor Allan Robinson coming under fire for a tirade of ‘‘offensive and sexist’’ abuse directed at some of his colleagues.
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The former jockey’s comments have been referred to the council’s legal department for review, while several councillors are considering formal complaints.
Cr Robinson, well known for his colourful language and outspoken ways, referred to Cr Stephanie Posniak as ‘‘beefcake’’ during heated debate on Tuesday that preceded the council’s controversial sacking of general manager Ken Gouldthorp.
He was asked to retract the comment by lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes.
‘‘I’ll retract the comment that I seem to have annoyed you with,’’ was his response. But it was his on-air comments to KOFM’s David Collins that have landed him in deeper hot water.
Speaking about Cr Nelmes, he encouraged Collins’ listeners to ‘‘see the damage that this vicious, vindictive woman with power has done’’.
The lord mayor was ‘‘just a puppet for a party’’ who ‘‘hangs around old cronies that used to be on the council and achieved nothing’’.
‘‘She’s disgraceful,’’ Cr Robinson said, took credit for things she didn’t do and would recruit a new general manager ‘‘who will have to be the most uneducated freak because he’ll be one of her crew’’.
‘‘Deputy mayor Michael Osborne ‘‘goes on about being open and trans parent’’ but was ‘‘as open and transparent as wet cardboard’’, he added.
Cr Nelmes, who is in Geneva to sign an agreement with the United Nations training organisation, said ‘‘there’s no place for those types of comments in the debate’’.
‘‘Obviously, Tuesday night was very difficult for all councillors,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s very disappointing that some have made this personal. I have not engaged in that and I won’t.’’
Cr Osborne said the council’s code of conduct specified that councillors should not be disrespectful or ‘‘get into public slanging matches’’.
Cr Posniak said she had ‘‘a pretty tough skin’’ but was more angry about the inappropriateness of his comments, and that two radio hosts ‘‘appeared to be encouraging him’’.
‘‘We have some pretty heated discussions within the Labor Party and there’s not too much I haven’t heard, but when Cr Robinson goes on radio describing some of the women on council as ‘some of the most ordinariest [sic] women you’d ever meet’, then that’s a problem.
‘‘He says a lot that is very offensive. It’s not like he’s in a pub with his mates, he’s in a council chamber where he’s supposed to be doing a job that people elected him to do.’’
Cr Robinson was unmoved by the complaints against him or the potential legal action.
‘‘They’ve just sacked a very good general manager for no reason and that’ll cost the ratepayers a fortune but they’re more worried about what I said on radio,’’ he said.
‘‘They don’t scare me with their code of conduct stuff. I’ve had 111 suspensions [as a jockey]. If they want to fight I won’t be backing away.’’
