Source : the age
The right-leaning mayor of the northern suburban City of Whittlesea will run as an independent in next month’s Werribee byelection, promising to direct preferences to whichever major party backs a return to mandatory Australia Day citizenship ceremonies.
Aidan McLindon was elected Whittlesea’s first new mayor in four years two months ago. He announced his candidacy in the February 8 byelection on Monday morning and said he believed he could be “kingmaker” in Werribee – a seat Labor has held safely for decades.
Mayor of Whittlesea Aidan McLindon will run in the Werribee byelection, calling for a return to mandatory Australia Day citizenship ceremonies. Credit: Simon Schluter
Asked why he was campaigning in Werribee – about 50 kilometres from Whittlesea’s council offices in South Morang – McLindon said he believed “local government in Victoria is currently a false democracy” because the Local Government Act prevented councillors from speaking freely on all issues.
He will not step down as Whittlesea mayor while he campaigns for the Werribee byelection, which has been triggered by the retirement of long-serving Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas.
Lawrie Cox, a Labor-aligned Whittlesea councillor and former mayor, said he was gobsmacked by the decision. “There is no correlation between the Werribee byelection and the City of Whittlesea, and his responsibilities as mayor of the City of Whittlesea.”
In 2020, the outer northern council was sacked for infighting and dysfunction and replaced by a panel of administrators.
McLindon said he wanted an end to culture wars around Australia Day.Credit: Andrew Quilty
In his first council meeting as mayor, McLindon proposed a motion to limit council spending but was defeated by six votes to five – a sign the new group of Whittlesea councillors is divided on policy.
The City of Whittlesea was the only outer-suburban council area where Labor endorsed candidates in last year’s local government elections.
Four Labor candidates were elected, while McLindon’s team of independents won in two wards in what is normally safe Labor territory. Its platform included a call for “child-safe libraries”, which drew criticism from the Victorian Pride Lobby for a call to remove children’s books dealing with LGBTQ issues.
McLindon said he would direct preferences in Werribee to whichever party pledged to reform the Local Government Act. The former Liberal Party member insisted he had no allegiance to the Coalition.
“Liberal and Labor is like Coke and Pepsi and people are screaming out for orange juice,” he said.
Chief among McLindon’s policy calls is a return to councils being required to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day. Whittlesea is one of several Victorian councils that will not hold such ceremonies on the Australia Day public holiday this month. Laws on citizenship ceremonies are made by the Commonwealth.
McLindon said he wanted to see an end to the culture wars around Australia Day. He said the state government should commit to introducing a minute’s silence at 11.59am “to pause and reflect and recognise some of the horrific tragedies and atrocities that occurred to our Indigenous brothers and sisters during European settlement.
“I propose that a didgeridoo is played, similar to the bugle, and after that, bells ring across all the pubs and everybody celebrates,” he said.
‘Liberal and Labor is like Coke and Pepsi and people are screaming out for orange juice.’
Aidan McLindon
McLindon also called for cuts to payroll tax for small businesses and a moratorium on building waste-to-energy plants on Melbourne’s fringes – one of which is proposed in Whittlesea.
Labor has endorsed local secondary school teacher John Lister in Werribee. The Liberals have named local real estate agent Steve Murphy.
Lister said the issues that mattered to people in Werribee were the cost of living and local roads.
“If the mayor of Whittlesea wants to talk about citizenship ceremonies, that’s his prerogative,” he said.
McLindon is a secondary school teacher in Fawkner. In 2022, he was a candidate for the anti-lockdown Freedom Party in former premier Daniel Andrews’ seat of Mulgrave. Before that, he was an MP in the Queensland Liberal National Party. He challenged for the deputy leadership, defected to the Queensland Party and joined Bob Katter’s Australia Party before losing his seat.
City of Whittlesea chief executive Craig Lloyd said McLindon had advised the council of his intention to run in the Werribee byelection.
“The Local Government Act does not require a councillor to take a leave of absence during a campaign. However, councillors must comply with council’s election period policy,” Lloyd said.
