The Greens have unexpectedly failed to win Randwick City Council support for a National Union of Student (NUS) campaign against pending Commonwealth Government Voluntary Unionism Legislation.
Greens Mayor Murray Matson is "furious" with the seven Labor Councillors who largely boycotted last Tuesday night's extraordinary Council meeting.
Only one ALP Councillor attended. Even that Councillor was absent from the chamber while the outnumbered Greens battled it out with the Liberals.
Cr Matson said,
"Randwick ALP Councillors abandoned the National Union of Students out of a petulant refusal to be seen voting for a local Greens initiative.
They had the opportunity to publicly support the NUS but chose to hide a few meters away in their Councillors room. I went and told them that the meeting was starting but only one responded and even he was absent when the Greens needed him."
Other contentious issues debated at the meeting included:
The Mayor was scathing about the commitment shown by the Labor Councillors.
"Labor Councillors are using calls for the reduction of Councillors to surreptitiously bring in a voting system that will force out minor \par parties.
The community should find it revealing that these same Councillor could not be bothered to come to a Council meeting themselves. It is a clear demonstration of the contempt the community can expect when the Greens are gone."