'Deeply disrespectful': Kerridge supporters hit back at Clausen 'conspiratorial' claims
Our Newcastle, a grassroots group formally formed during the 2024 Newcastle council government elections, supported Cr Kerridge in his successful campaign for lord mayor.
At last week's council meeting, Cr Clausen described those involved in the help session as having "conspiratorial views", believing "some malfeasance" in the Newcastle council.
Our Newcastle has refuted the claims, saying it held the January 23 session to support community members, particularly those who were older and needed technical assistance to prepare and lodge submissions to the Davidson Business Advisory review.
"We are disappointed by recent comments made by Cr Declan Clausen, who questioned the 'appropriateness' of our sessions and described those involved as holding 'conspiratorial views'," Our Newcastle president Leisha Parkinson said in a statement.
"Those remarks are not only unfounded but deeply disrespectful to the many older residents who simply sought help navigating an online process in order to express their views, something they have every right to do.
"Increasingly, we are seeing a pattern in Newcastle politics where those who hold views different to the Labor councillors are dismissed as 'conspiratorial' or accused of spreading 'misinformation'."
The statement went on to say that Labor councillors are "not the sole arbitrators of truth in our city".
Ms Parkinson stood for a position on Newcastle council in Ward 2 on the Our Newcastle independent ticket.
More than 840 submissions were made to the Davidson review into the council's policies, processes and procedures.
Almost 30 submissions were made about a perceived lack of respect among councillors, including towards the lord mayor.
Cr Clausen said on Tuesday that Our Newcastle had misrepresented his position and the nature of his remarks.
"I did raise concerns during the council meeting about the secret Our Newcastle letter-writing sessions," he said.
"It is entirely appropriate to question whether a secretive political group holding private letter-writing sessions tried to unduly influence the outcome of the Davidson review."
Cr Clausen said that if Labor, the Liberal Party or the Greens organised similar sessions, he suspected there would be "loud public outcries" condemning the action and said Our Newcastle should be held to the same standard.
He went on to say the level of "unsolicited coaching" in the submission-writing session remains unanswered.
The Newcastle Herald is aware of only one help session being held on January 23.
Ms Parkinson maintains the session was open to all and "strictly non-partisan".
"At no point did we influence or advise participants on what to write, nor did we question the content of their submissions," she said.
"Our sole aim was to ensure that everyone in Newcastle had the opportunity to contribute freely and independently, without barriers due to technology or access."
Cr Clausen said he fully supported community engagement, including providing help to those who needed it to ensure their views were considered.
"The issue in this case was not whether the public should be supported, it was whether a single party-political group with strong pre-existing views should be positioning themselves as a neutral provider of that support," he said.
Cr Kerridge has denied attending the help session and has said he was not involved in its organisation.
An email written under the Our Newcastle letterhead invited recipients to drop in if they would like help with their submission or to chat through their ideas.
The letter requested recipients to tell Our Newcastle when they had made a submission.
Ms Parkinson said Our Newcastle believed support should have been provided by the council to make submissions, particularly for those with limited technological literacy.
"Ensuring members of our community can participate in local democracy is a basic responsibility of good governance," she said.
Ms Parkinson went on to accuse Labor councillors of a "broader pattern of ageism" including "repeated derogatory references to the lord mayor's age".
"These are not only inappropriate but appear intended to dismiss and silence the voices of older residents," she said.
"We believe that every person-young or old, deserves a place in our political conversation."
The Newcastle Herald asked for clarification about comments Our Newcastle claims Labor councillors have made about the lord mayor's age.
In response, Ms Parkinson referred to a comment made by Cr Clausen on one of his Facebook posts 39 weeks ago that said, "For too long, local government in NSW has been 'male, pale and stale'".
Cr Clausen said he did not believe he had ever made a comment about the lord mayor's age, derogatory or otherwise.
"The lord mayor has never raised any such concern with me," he said. "I also raise the irony of this line of criticism from Our Newcastle."
Cr Clausen said both the lord mayor and the Herald's Facebook pages continue to include comments by members of the public describing him as a "boy" and "kid".
"I am the longest-serving councillor in our chamber, having served on council for over a decade, and for seven consecutive years as the deputy lord mayor," he said.
"Newly-elected councillors, regardless of their age, could benefit from listening to others with more experience."
ROSS Kerridge's supporters have hit back at Declan Clausen after the Labor councillor publicly questioned the "appropriateness" of a submission-writing help session the lord mayor's Our Newcastle team held during an independent council inquiry.
Our Newcastle, a grassroots group formally formed during the 2024 Newcastle council government elections, supported Cr Kerridge in his successful campaign for lord mayor.
At last week's council meeting, Cr Clausen described those involved in the help session as having "conspiratorial views", believing "some malfeasance" in the Newcastle council.
Our Newcastle has refuted the claims, saying it held the January 23 session to support community members, particularly those who were older and needed technical assistance to prepare and lodge submissions to the Davidson Business Advisory review.
"We are disappointed by recent comments made by Cr Declan Clausen, who questioned the 'appropriateness' of our sessions and described those involved as holding 'conspiratorial views'," Our Newcastle president Leisha Parkinson said in a statement.
"Those remarks are not only unfounded but deeply disrespectful to the many older residents who simply sought help navigating an online process in order to express their views, something they have every right to do.
"Increasingly, we are seeing a pattern in Newcastle politics where those who hold views different to the Labor councillors are dismissed as 'conspiratorial' or accused of spreading 'misinformation'."
The statement went on to say that Labor councillors are "not the sole arbitrators of truth in our city".
Ms Parkinson stood for a position on Newcastle council in Ward 2 on the Our Newcastle independent ticket.
More than 840 submissions were made to the Davidson review into the council's policies, processes and procedures.
Almost 30 submissions were made about a perceived lack of respect among councillors, including towards the lord mayor.
Cr Clausen said on Tuesday that Our Newcastle had misrepresented his position and the nature of his remarks.
"I did raise concerns during the council meeting about the secret Our Newcastle letter-writing sessions," he said.
"It is entirely appropriate to question whether a secretive political group holding private letter-writing sessions tried to unduly influence the outcome of the Davidson review."
Cr Clausen said that if Labor, the Liberal Party or the Greens organised similar sessions, he suspected there would be "loud public outcries" condemning the action and said Our Newcastle should be held to the same standard.
He went on to say the level of "unsolicited coaching" in the submission-writing session remains unanswered.
The Newcastle Herald is aware of only one help session being held on January 23.
Ms Parkinson maintains the session was open to all and "strictly non-partisan".
"At no point did we influence or advise participants on what to write, nor did we question the content of their submissions," she said.
"Our sole aim was to ensure that everyone in Newcastle had the opportunity to contribute freely and independently, without barriers due to technology or access."
Cr Clausen said he fully supported community engagement, including providing help to those who needed it to ensure their views were considered.
"The issue in this case was not whether the public should be supported, it was whether a single party-political group with strong pre-existing views should be positioning themselves as a neutral provider of that support," he said.
Cr Kerridge has denied attending the help session and has said he was not involved in its organisation.
An email written under the Our Newcastle letterhead invited recipients to drop in if they would like help with their submission or to chat through their ideas.
The letter requested recipients to tell Our Newcastle when they had made a submission.
Ms Parkinson said Our Newcastle believed support should have been provided by the council to make submissions, particularly for those with limited technological literacy.
"Ensuring members of our community can participate in local democracy is a basic responsibility of good governance," she said.
Ms Parkinson went on to accuse Labor councillors of a "broader pattern of ageism" including "repeated derogatory references to the lord mayor's age".
"These are not only inappropriate but appear intended to dismiss and silence the voices of older residents," she said.
"We believe that every person-young or old, deserves a place in our political conversation."
The Newcastle Herald asked for clarification about comments Our Newcastle claims Labor councillors have made about the lord mayor's age.
In response, Ms Parkinson referred to a comment made by Cr Clausen on one of his Facebook posts 39 weeks ago that said, "For too long, local government in NSW has been 'male, pale and stale'".
Cr Clausen said he did not believe he had ever made a comment about the lord mayor's age, derogatory or otherwise.
"The lord mayor has never raised any such concern with me," he said. "I also raise the irony of this line of criticism from Our Newcastle."
Cr Clausen said both the lord mayor and the Herald's Facebook pages continue to include comments by members of the public describing him as a "boy" and "kid".
"I am the longest-serving councillor in our chamber, having served on council for over a decade, and for seven consecutive years as the deputy lord mayor," he said.
"Newly-elected councillors, regardless of their age, could benefit from listening to others with more experience."
ROSS Kerridge's supporters have hit back at Declan Clausen after the Labor councillor publicly questioned the "appropriateness" of a submission-writing help session the lord mayor's Our Newcastle team held during an independent council inquiry.
Our Newcastle, a grassroots group formally formed during the 2024 Newcastle council government elections, supported Cr Kerridge in his successful campaign for lord mayor.
At last week's council meeting, Cr Clausen described those involved in the help session as having "conspiratorial views", believing "some malfeasance" in the Newcastle council.
Our Newcastle has refuted the claims, saying it held the January 23 session to support community members, particularly those who were older and needed technical assistance to prepare and lodge submissions to the Davidson Business Advisory review.
"We are disappointed by recent comments made by Cr Declan Clausen, who questioned the 'appropriateness' of our sessions and described those involved as holding 'conspiratorial views'," Our Newcastle president Leisha Parkinson said in a statement.
"Those remarks are not only unfounded but deeply disrespectful to the many older residents who simply sought help navigating an online process in order to express their views, something they have every right to do.
"Increasingly, we are seeing a pattern in Newcastle politics where those who hold views different to the Labor councillors are dismissed as 'conspiratorial' or accused of spreading 'misinformation'."
The statement went on to say that Labor councillors are "not the sole arbitrators of truth in our city".
Ms Parkinson stood for a position on Newcastle council in Ward 2 on the Our Newcastle independent ticket.
More than 840 submissions were made to the Davidson review into the council's policies, processes and procedures.
Almost 30 submissions were made about a perceived lack of respect among councillors, including towards the lord mayor.
Cr Clausen said on Tuesday that Our Newcastle had misrepresented his position and the nature of his remarks.
"I did raise concerns during the council meeting about the secret Our Newcastle letter-writing sessions," he said.
"It is entirely appropriate to question whether a secretive political group holding private letter-writing sessions tried to unduly influence the outcome of the Davidson review."
Cr Clausen said that if Labor, the Liberal Party or the Greens organised similar sessions, he suspected there would be "loud public outcries" condemning the action and said Our Newcastle should be held to the same standard.
He went on to say the level of "unsolicited coaching" in the submission-writing session remains unanswered.
The Newcastle Herald is aware of only one help session being held on January 23.
Ms Parkinson maintains the session was open to all and "strictly non-partisan".
"At no point did we influence or advise participants on what to write, nor did we question the content of their submissions," she said.
"Our sole aim was to ensure that everyone in Newcastle had the opportunity to contribute freely and independently, without barriers due to technology or access."
Cr Clausen said he fully supported community engagement, including providing help to those who needed it to ensure their views were considered.
"The issue in this case was not whether the public should be supported, it was whether a single party-political group with strong pre-existing views should be positioning themselves as a neutral provider of that support," he said.
Cr Kerridge has denied attending the help session and has said he was not involved in its organisation.
An email written under the Our Newcastle letterhead invited recipients to drop in if they would like help with their submission or to chat through their ideas.
The letter requested recipients to tell Our Newcastle when they had made a submission.
Ms Parkinson said Our Newcastle believed support should have been provided by the council to make submissions, particularly for those with limited technological literacy.
"Ensuring members of our community can participate in local democracy is a basic responsibility of good governance," she said.
Ms Parkinson went on to accuse Labor councillors of a "broader pattern of ageism" including "repeated derogatory references to the lord mayor's age".
"These are not only inappropriate but appear intended to dismiss and silence the voices of older residents," she said.
"We believe that every person-young or old, deserves a place in our political conversation."
The Newcastle Herald asked for clarification about comments Our Newcastle claims Labor councillors have made about the lord mayor's age.
In response, Ms Parkinson referred to a comment made by Cr Clausen on one of his Facebook posts 39 weeks ago that said, "For too long, local government in NSW has been 'male, pale and stale'".
Cr Clausen said he did not believe he had ever made a comment about the lord mayor's age, derogatory or otherwise.
"The lord mayor has never raised any such concern with me," he said. "I also raise the irony of this line of criticism from Our Newcastle."
Cr Clausen said both the lord mayor and the Herald's Facebook pages continue to include comments by members of the public describing him as a "boy" and "kid".
"I am the longest-serving councillor in our chamber, having served on council for over a decade, and for seven consecutive years as the deputy lord mayor," he said.
"Newly-elected councillors, regardless of their age, could benefit from listening to others with more experience."
ROSS Kerridge's supporters have hit back at Declan Clausen after the Labor councillor publicly questioned the "appropriateness" of a submission-writing help session the lord mayor's Our Newcastle team held during an independent council inquiry.
Our Newcastle, a grassroots group formally formed during the 2024 Newcastle council government elections, supported Cr Kerridge in his successful campaign for lord mayor.
At last week's council meeting, Cr Clausen described those involved in the help session as having "conspiratorial views", believing "some malfeasance" in the Newcastle council.
Our Newcastle has refuted the claims, saying it held the January 23 session to support community members, particularly those who were older and needed technical assistance to prepare and lodge submissions to the Davidson Business Advisory review.
"We are disappointed by recent comments made by Cr Declan Clausen, who questioned the 'appropriateness' of our sessions and described those involved as holding 'conspiratorial views'," Our Newcastle president Leisha Parkinson said in a statement.
"Those remarks are not only unfounded but deeply disrespectful to the many older residents who simply sought help navigating an online process in order to express their views, something they have every right to do.
"Increasingly, we are seeing a pattern in Newcastle politics where those who hold views different to the Labor councillors are dismissed as 'conspiratorial' or accused of spreading 'misinformation'."
The statement went on to say that Labor councillors are "not the sole arbitrators of truth in our city".
Ms Parkinson stood for a position on Newcastle council in Ward 2 on the Our Newcastle independent ticket.
More than 840 submissions were made to the Davidson review into the council's policies, processes and procedures.
Almost 30 submissions were made about a perceived lack of respect among councillors, including towards the lord mayor.
Cr Clausen said on Tuesday that Our Newcastle had misrepresented his position and the nature of his remarks.
"I did raise concerns during the council meeting about the secret Our Newcastle letter-writing sessions," he said.
"It is entirely appropriate to question whether a secretive political group holding private letter-writing sessions tried to unduly influence the outcome of the Davidson review."
Cr Clausen said that if Labor, the Liberal Party or the Greens organised similar sessions, he suspected there would be "loud public outcries" condemning the action and said Our Newcastle should be held to the same standard.
He went on to say the level of "unsolicited coaching" in the submission-writing session remains unanswered.
The Newcastle Herald is aware of only one help session being held on January 23.
Ms Parkinson maintains the session was open to all and "strictly non-partisan".
"At no point did we influence or advise participants on what to write, nor did we question the content of their submissions," she said.
"Our sole aim was to ensure that everyone in Newcastle had the opportunity to contribute freely and independently, without barriers due to technology or access."
Cr Clausen said he fully supported community engagement, including providing help to those who needed it to ensure their views were considered.
"The issue in this case was not whether the public should be supported, it was whether a single party-political group with strong pre-existing views should be positioning themselves as a neutral provider of that support," he said.
Cr Kerridge has denied attending the help session and has said he was not involved in its organisation.
An email written under the Our Newcastle letterhead invited recipients to drop in if they would like help with their submission or to chat through their ideas.
The letter requested recipients to tell Our Newcastle when they had made a submission.
Ms Parkinson said Our Newcastle believed support should have been provided by the council to make submissions, particularly for those with limited technological literacy.
"Ensuring members of our community can participate in local democracy is a basic responsibility of good governance," she said.
Ms Parkinson went on to accuse Labor councillors of a "broader pattern of ageism" including "repeated derogatory references to the lord mayor's age".
"These are not only inappropriate but appear intended to dismiss and silence the voices of older residents," she said.
"We believe that every person-young or old, deserves a place in our political conversation."
The Newcastle Herald asked for clarification about comments Our Newcastle claims Labor councillors have made about the lord mayor's age.
In response, Ms Parkinson referred to a comment made by Cr Clausen on one of his Facebook posts 39 weeks ago that said, "For too long, local government in NSW has been 'male, pale and stale'".
Cr Clausen said he did not believe he had ever made a comment about the lord mayor's age, derogatory or otherwise.
"The lord mayor has never raised any such concern with me," he said. "I also raise the irony of this line of criticism from Our Newcastle."
Cr Clausen said both the lord mayor and the Herald's Facebook pages continue to include comments by members of the public describing him as a "boy" and "kid".
"I am the longest-serving councillor in our chamber, having served on council for over a decade, and for seven consecutive years as the deputy lord mayor," he said.
"Newly-elected councillors, regardless of their age, could benefit from listening to others with more experience."
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One Albanian community insider has confided to this masthead that he told detectives he feared Dandenong Thunder had been infiltrated by Albanian crime figures. In late 2024, police moved on both men. Ferdi's assets, including a Lamborghini Huracan, were seized by the police's proceeds of crime squad. In a statement, Victoria Police confirmed that the seizure was 'part of an investigation into unexplained wealth', sparking an ongoing process that now requires Ferdi and his father, Fari, to convince the County Court they lawfully acquired 'three residential properties and two vehicles, a Lamborghini and a Mercedes Benz, worth at least $2.8 million'. 'As the matter is currently before the courts, it would be inappropriate to comment further,' a police spokesperson said. The Lumanovskis could not be reached for comment and there is no suggestion by this masthead they are guilty of any offence. A few weeks later after the seizure action, police swooped on Muedenovski. He was targeted as one of three men, including Memeti's nephew, Jeton, and Burim's brother, Enis, suspected of using inside information to bet on games in which Thunder lost against weaker rivals: the St Albans Saints in July 2024 and the Moreland City FC last August. Loading Police have laid no match-fixing or betting charges, and there is no suggestion the trio are guilty of the suspected sports corruption being probed. But during the raids, detectives made other discoveries: several small bags of cocaine and hydroponic cannabis crop inside Enis' home; and 29 vials of banned anabolic steroids in Burim's garage. In late March, the two brothers pleaded guilty but escaped convictions. Burim is still facing charges laid by the Australian Border Force over allegedly smuggling 45,000 cigarettes into Australia. Quizzed about the police targeting of his son-in-law, Memeti said he had little recent contact with him: 'You don't pick people who is your family, but you're very disappointed anyway.' Memeti also revealed that, in the aftermath of the police raids on Thunder's headquarters, Burim and Ferdi had both left their official roles as the club's two top officials. (After the raid, Thunder released a statement saying it was 'deeply concerned by allegations connected to our club' and would 'fully co-operate with Victoria Police's investigation'.) Memeti didn't respond to written questions about why he was pictured with accused Albanian criminal Emiljan Hamataj and federal Labor MP Cassandra Fernando, but Fernando's spokesperson said on Friday the photo was at a lunch 'at Cr Memeti's house during the 2024 Victorian local government elections' and that she 'does not recall meeting the man in question nor being introduced to him at the lunch or at any other time'. A source aware of the lunch said it was held to thank volunteers who had helped with Memeti's re-election campaign. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing on the part of Fernardo or Memeti's other Labor colleagues, including federal MPs Dreyfus and Hill. There is also no suggestion Albanese or any other politician knew the backgrounds of those who were part of the recent Albanian-Australian delegation to Canberra, including the suspected high-ranking Albanian mafia figure. Dreyfus did not respond to specific questions about his dealings with Memeti, including whether Dreyfus' electorate office had provided assistance in specific migration matters, but said in a general statement that it was 'standard practice' for electorate offices to assist with visa matters. Hill pointed to Memeti's long tenure in public office when asked about their dealings. 'Jim's been mayor of Greater Dandenong six times over 20 years and is well known and active across the entire community,' he said. 'Jim's dealings with me and my office over many years have always been entirely routine and focused on our community.' When this masthead recently bumped into Memeti at Canberra airport, the six-time mayor insisted again that his brushes with those linked to suspected serious crime were incidental. As he had said in earlier interviews, Memeti vowed to keep helping people in need. 'That's just the way I am,' he said.
