Councillor reprimanded after walking out, turnng back on Indigenous ceremonies

News.com.au

a day ago

A South Australian councillor has been called on to resign by his colleagues after he was accused of walking out during the Acknowledgement of Country and turning his back on a smoking ceremony at a Welcome to Country.
Barossa councillor Bruce Preece was also alleged to have used the homophobic slur 'poofter' in 2024, in a conversation defending suspended Port Adelaide forward Jeremy Finlayson's use of the word.
Councillor Preece says he's been denied procedural fairness and plans to appeal against any findings made against him.
Another complaint alleged that he had blindsided colleagues by appearing on the front page of the local newspaper in December 2023 in a story announcing he would be bringing forward a motion to discontinue the Acknowledgement of Country at council meetings and events.
Barossa Council received a behavioural complaint from two councillors and one unnamed individual against Cr Preece in April last year regarding the four allegations.
The council spent $47,000 investigating the matter, according to public documents, with a report by law firm Kelledy Jones concluding that he had breached numerous Behavioural Standards for Council Members and recommending he be reprimanded, attend relevant training and issue a public apology.
The council voted in favour of the motions at its meeting on May 20, calling on Cr Preece to resign 'forthwith'.
Cr Preece told the meeting that he had been denied procedural fairness in the investigation, and would appeal to the state ombudsman.
'I believe one of the great pillars of Australian society and the way our country is run is that we have the rule of law, we have the principle that people are innocent until proven guilty and that those accused of wrongdoing are given procedural fairness in the ensuing investigations,' he said.
Cr Preece declined to comment further when reached on Friday.
According to Kelledy Jones' report, Cr Preece walked out during council's Acknowledgement of Country on five occasions in 2023 in a 'deliberate and calculated' manner.
Cr Preece's actions were 'disruptive and contemptuous as well as disrespectful and discriminatory, on the basis that the Acknowledgement of Country is a public demonstration of respect to the First Nations of Australia and is a longstanding element of council's meeting procedure', the complaint read.
At council's Australia Day event in 2024 at Tanunda Show Hall, Cr Preece was accused of getting up from his seat and walking away from the crowd after a smoking ceremony by Uncle Quenten Agius to wait in line at a coffee van, chatting with another person and standing with his back to the speaker 'for an extended period of time'.
The complaint 'submits that Cr Preece's positioning and body language conveyed contempt and it appeared to be a calculated and deliberately public display of disrespect and repudiation directed towards our guest speaker'.
He was alleged to have been heard by a number of attendees saying words to the effect of 'they shouldn't be allowed to have that smoke, they shouldn't be allowed to do that, it's so wrong', 'it's disgusting, it smells disgusting' and 'people can't breathe, they can't breathe because of all that smoke'.
Cr Preece, who was elected to council in November 2022, spoke to The Barossa Leader newspaper in December 2023 ahead of bringing a motion to discontinue the Acknowledgement of Country.
The complaint alleged that 'the manner in which Cr Preece brought this matter forward resulted in elected members becoming aware of the motion via the local newspaper in the first instance, which fails to meet his obligations under the Behavioural Standards in establishing and maintaining relationships of respect, trust, collaboration and co-operation with fellow elected members'.
In April 2024, ahead of a meeting of the Gawler River Floodplain Management Authority (GRFMA) at Adelaide Hills Council's Kersbrook Sporting Complex, in his capacity as a GRFMA board member, Cr Preece was allegedly 'engaged in friendly football banter' with two individuals when he raised the recent 'Jeremy Finlayson homophobic slur' incident.
'Very vocally, in an audible voice heard by those beyond the conversation, Cr Preece spoke certain, similar, words to those purportedly used by Mr Finlayson, that the complainant submits were offensive and inappropriate,' the complaint read.
'The complainant asserts that Cr Preece seemed 'outraged' that you couldn't call someone a 'poofter' and reminded him that his use of that word was not appropriate.'
The complainant alleged that despite being told to stop, Cr Preece then 'doubled down on his comments raised his voice louder and said he was sick of our society telling him what he could and couldn't say and if he wanted to call someone a poofter he should be able to, after all he was referred to that on the football field many times'.
In his response to the investigation, Cr Preece's lawyer said his client was 'making a sticks and stones type argument' but 'accepts that his pursuit of the argument may not have been appropriate to the context and apologises for any offence caused'.
Regarding the allegation of walking out during the Acknowledgement of Country, Cr Preece's representative submitted that he has had 'a battle with bowel cancer his need to go to the bathroom can be immediate' and on other occasions he had left the chamber to get his spare reading glasses from his car.
He denied deliberately turning his back during the Australia Day smoking ceremony, saying he had noticed there was an elderly citizen who was coughing due to the smoke and went over to see if she needed assistance.
And in response to the complaint about the newspaper article, Cr Preece maintained he was within his rights to raise a notice of motion without 'foreshadowing' to other members.
Kelledy Jones found that Cr Preece's explanation for leaving the chamber during the Acknowledgement of Country was 'disingenuous', and that his explanation of the Australia Day incident did 'not address what was said to be his rude and offensive comments made at the time'.
The law firm also found that Cr Preece 'made the homophobic comments as alleged, and when challenged regarding the same, asserted his right to do so, blanketed as 'free
speech''.
'It is highly inappropriate and offensive for a member of the council to act in such manner, particularly when they are an 'ambassador' for their council, causing embarrassment and offending others present, which actions persisted, even when they were raised with him,' it said.
Emotional councillors vented their fury at Cr Preece during last Tuesday's meeting.
'I have never, ever called upon someone to resign, but such is the seriousness of it,' Cr John Angas said.
Cr Dave de Vries added, 'I'm actually surprised how emotional I'm getting about this … it's just so distressing. The enormity of what's happening is just starting to hit home.'
Cr Jess Greatwich, council's representative to the local Rainbow Network, said she was 'apoplectic with fury when I read this complaint — I had to go and walk around the block and make myself a cup of tea'.
'I'm still furious and I am so sad,' she said.
Cr Cathy Troup suggested 'Indigenous and cultural awareness training in this specific incident could be very beneficial'.
'Sometimes we just don't know what we don't know, and I do think this could give Cr Preece a chance to just, you know, think about the way he thinks,' she said.
Barossa Mayor Bim Lange told the ABC on Thursday council's decision was about policies rather than politics.
'It's disappointing that this has occurred, but I believe that council is engaging with First Nations, looking at all the things associated with their history and it's just about showing respect,' he said.
'People can have personal views — I don't hold a grudge against that — but when we've set some policies and some principles on our behaviour, I think it's important we demonstrate that to the wider community.'
A number of councils have voted to cancel Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country ceremonies following the defeat of the Voice to Parliament referendum in 2023, including South Australia's Northern Areas Council, the City of Playford and Naracoorte Lucindale Council.
Several others have knocked down motions seeking to end the practice, including the Shire of Harvey in Western Australia, Sydney's Cumberland City Council and Flinders Council in Tasmania earlier this week.