Council last night decided to instruct contractors to pull down political posters every seven days, forcing political parties to potentially replace them three times before the election.
The move was pushed by Clover Moore and opposed by the Labor councillors and The Greens Chris Harris, who commented that it would benefit the major parties which have large media budgets, and disadvantage the minor parties which don't.
The report in the Herald (click headline) misses the point, however, that the seven-day rule is a huge step forward from the 24-hour regime which applied up till now.
8 comments:
At least posters should be put up only one week before an election. Not 5 weels as Peter King is doing. A good anti clustering policy against political posters.
Cosnistency is now evident. Well done Clover.
From todays Sydney Morning Herald 15 September
The Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, who has decreed that election posters must be removed from city property, has been accused of "breathtaking hypocrisy" after it emerged she went to court to assert her right to display her own political advertisements.
Cr Moore fought a year-long battle against a former political rival who initiated action in the Land and Environment Court to protest against her power pole advertisements in the 1999 state election.
An independent candidate for the seat of Bligh in that election, Malcolm Duncan, a barrister, declined to display his campaign material on public buildings, thus complying with lightly policed laws, because he feared a charge would imperil his legal standing.
Incensed that Ms Moore, and the Labor and Liberal candidates, were advertising contrary to the laws, he began a personal court action. Ms Moore and Labor's Vic Smith opposed it.
The action was never dismissed, but a permanent stay of proceedings was ordered and the legality of various laws on political advertising was never resolved. Mr Duncan was directed to pay about $30,000 costs.
On Monday Cr Moore won a motion to have council contractors remove political displays at five-day intervals during the federal election campaign, consistent with City of Sydney council graffiti policy, which covers parts of the federal seats of Wentworth and Sydney.
No posters will be taken down in the last week of the election.
During the debate, Cr Moore declared in a mayoral minute that she had campaigned since 1999, midway through the court case, for the State Government "to improve the unrealistic and largely unenforceable legislation".
Mr Duncan said Cr Moore was behaving outrageously in stopping federal candidates from putting up posters, particularly when she had displayed her own material in the 2003 state poll and last March's council election.
Cr Moore said last night the graffiti code should not allow one rule for city residents and a different rule for federal candidates. "People feel quite strongly about this. I have sought to get the laws changed in the past, but that has not happened."
Cr Moore's motion was opposed by the Labor Party, the Greens councillor Chris Harris and the Liberal councillor Shayne Mallard.
Yesterday, Cr Michael Lee, Labor, said he could not understand Cr Moore's reasons for acting so swiftly, especially as comment was being sought on amending the anti-graffiti policy.
Just as a clover can have many leaves, this one has two faces.
All the SMH stories about the 'hypocrisy' of Clover Moore and her seven-day removal of political posters have entirely missed the point. Her
move was in fact extending the removal cycle from 24 hours to seven days. It was a compromise position between Council's existing
blitz mentality and those, including Ms Moore, who wanted them left up for the duration of the election and then removed by the parties
afterwards.
I have sent this letter to the SMH -- see if they publish a retraction.
The democrats just put up a poster on a lamp post in front of my home. Question: Will this poster be taken down in 24hrs, 5 days or 7 days? Or when the wind or some other natural or unnatural force remove it?
Malcolm Duncan and Clover Moore now agree on something! It's time to say 'Sorry'. Perhaps they will now forgive and forget. Then Clover can recruit Malcolm into her administration to manage political signage and other matters concerning flimsy icons fluttering in the wind.
Please keep us posted about the Democrats poster! Interesting to see how long it lasts.
If Malcolm shouts at it it will fall down in a big heap.
Post a Comment