A MOTION introduced by Councillor Jason Colley has called for a bold initiative to combat bullying and poor behaviour directed at council officers and elected representatives in the Redlands.
In a bid to address growing concerns around online abuse and disrespectful conduct, Cr Colley proposed the launch of an advocacy campaign led by the mayor and councillors to promote a culture of respect and civility in local government discourse.
The motion, passed unanimously at the final Redland City Council meeting of 2024, seeks to condemn bullying in all forms, and focus on tackling negative behaviour on social media platforms where many such incidents have occurred.
Cr Colley argued that while public officials are often subjected to scrutiny, the line is increasingly being crossed into damaging and unfair personal attacks.
“The damaging effects of bullying have been well publicised recently, with poor standards of online behaviour and conduct towards individuals often resulting in terrible consequences,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the Redlands is infamous for a poor standard of behaviour when it comes to discourse about politics and government issues.
“Those who put their hand up for public office accept a degree of scrutiny from the community and we as elected representatives absolutely should be held accountable for the decisions we make and the way that we conduct ourselves.
“What isn’t reasonable is when public accountability goes beyond fair comment.
“The behaviour that our staff are also subjected to is completely unacceptable.”
As civic leaders, Cr Colley said councillors have a responsibility to model a high standard of behaviour.
“Councillors have taken the initiative to launch this campaign and lead the change we need to see for the betterment of our city,” he said.
Key aspects of the motion include the launch of an advocacy campaign aimed at condemning bullying and poor behaviour towards both council officers and councillors.
The campaign will require the mayor and councillors to lead by example and set a higher standard for local political discourse.
The motion also targets online behaviour.
Specifically, councillors will take proactive steps to remove comments from their social media posts or pages that defame or unjustly harm the reputation of council staff or fellow elected officials.
Additionally, councillors would refrain from engaging with harmful social media content.
