Allan Robinson and his three Newcastle Independents colleagues exited the meeting when Newcastle councillors voted on Tuesday to condemn the former jockey for "sexist and homophobic" comments.
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The four Independents were not at last month's council meeting when their Labor rivals and Green John Mackenzie first moved to formally censure Cr Robinson in front of a camera crew from The Project.
The council's Labor majority postponed that original motion until Tuesday so the Independents would be forced to respond to the claims, but Cr Robinson excused himself from the debate due to what he regarded as a non-pecuniary interest.
John Church, Kath Elliott and Andrea Rufo departed after expressing concerns about potential defamation when it became clear their opponents planned to pass a motion "condemning in the strongest possible terms language and behaviour that is sexist and homophobic, including recent comments attributed to Councillor Allan Robinson".
Cr Mackenzie, speaking for the motion, referred to a decision by the NSW Court of Appeal on September 3 that a Parramatta councillor referring to another councillor as a "clown" was insulting.
"Those judges reflected that it was a 'disheartening insight into the activities of elected representatives' ... and noted the 'intransigence of the parties about matters of no demonstrated public interest'," he said. "One wonders what they might say if they were to reflect on the behaviour of Newcastle council in terms of the language that's been permitted to be used in this place."
Cr Robinson referred to a female councillor as looking like "Jessie the elephant" during a recent debate and to homosexuals as "p--fs" in later media interviews.
The Independents issued a statement four weeks ago saying they "do not endorse hate speech by anyone at anytime".
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Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
