Night and day as council change divides

LISMORE councillors have voted to shift council meetings to daytime for the first time in decades, sparking controversy and prompting a rescission motion to revisit the decision at the next meeting.

At the council’s first meeting, Cr Gianpiero Battista proposed moving meetings from 6pm to 10am, citing long working hours for councillors and staff as a Work, Health, and Safety issue.

“We need to change. We need to make things better for us, for Lismore, for the staff,” Cr Battista said.

“We are the only council on the Northern Rivers that meets after 6 o’clock.”

The motion was not part of the meeting agenda, drawing criticism from Cr Big Rob, who argued it didn’t give councillors or the public time to consider the proposal.

“I think this is a disgrace this wasn’t circulated before the meeting,” Cr Rob said. “This is a surprise – 10am starts.”

Cr Rob expressed concern that daytime meetings would conflict with work commitments for many councillors, including himself, and limit public engagement.

“To do this at 10am will make this council ineffective because people won’t be here, they’ll be at work.”

Cr Harper Dalton-Earls and Cr Adam Guise proposed holding a briefing to assess whether daytime meetings were best for the council and the community. However, the majority of councillors voted to move ahead with the change.

Following the vote, Cr Rob requested a leave of absence or permission to attend meetings via AVL, as his work commitments would prevent him from attending in person. His request was granted.

Mayor Krieg later confirmed that a rescission motion had been lodged, and the decision will be revisited at the next meeting.

An extraordinary council meeting will be held on October 29 at 10am to discuss the council’s financial plans and the rescission motion. Regular council meetings are scheduled for the second Tuesday of every month, with the next briefing on October 22 at 6pm.