Inner West Councillors were asked on August 13 to support a motion to investigate council’s procurement policy to ensure it was not investing in weapons’ industries which are profiting from Israel’s war on Gaza.
Labor councillors used their majority of one to vote the modest motion down.
Greens councillor Dylan Griffiths, who put the motion, said he was “disappointed” given that the bar was so low. Independent councillor Pauline Lockie seconded the motion.
The motion asked council “to undertake a comprehensive audit of Council’s investments and procurement relationships in the context of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign, with any required funding to be identified through the quarterly budget review”.
Griffiths’ second motion, to reaffirm the former Marrickville Council’s sister city relationship with Bethlehem, was not voted on.
Labor Mayor Darcy Byrne foreshadowed a long-winded motion excusing council from investigating its own procurement and investment policy. He disclosed during the debate that council’s contract with Hewlett-Packard (HP) could not be broken, as it would result in “legal problems for the council … [where] ratepayers would foot the bill.”
HP is directly involved in supplying technology to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), such as the tiered ID card system. HP also exclusively provides computers for the IDF.
Byrne, who has a history of opposing such solidarity motions, said council should focus on “local responsibilities not foreign affairs” as well as “strong financial management.”
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Speakers at the 300-strong rally outside the Ashfield Civic Centre said a simple audit of council’s investment portfolio, with a pledge to disclose and divest from weapons’ companies is a very modest step, given Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Wiradjuri and Ngiyampaa Wailwan activist Ethan Floyd, Palestinian activists Ahmed Abadla and Aboud Shaweesh, a member of the anti-Zionist Tzedek Collective and John Gauci from Teachers and School Staff for Palestine NSW, who spoke in a personal capacity, showed how strong the community feeling is.
In the end, Byrne call closed the meeting at 11pm saying staff and councilors felt “unsafe”.
The Inner West for Palestine group’s spokesperson Caitlyn Boyce said council’s failure to vote the disclose motion up “shows our council and our representatives are severely out of step with the community it is supposed to represent as well as international human rights laws”.
The group plans said it is organising ahead of the local government elections in September to let the community know which councillors are listening to constituents on the genocide.
“We are ready to hold the war crime sympathisers accountable,” Boyce said.
Merri-bek Council and Darebin Councils in Victoria and the City of Sydney and City of Canterbury-Bankstown in NSW have passed disclose and divest motions.
[Rachel Evans is active in the City of Sydney for Palestine.]