‘Ratbag’ residents dragged to defeat

The Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s husband, Peter Moore, called Glebe and Forest Lodge protestors “ratbags” following a Council vote that saw the second defeat of activists fighting against the City’s plans to develop Orphan School Creek.

Earlier that day police dragged protestor Susan Stringfellow from the Forest Lodge work site, charging the 59-year-old mother with ‘obstruction of traffic,’ despite an agreement between workers and union representatives that work on the site would stop until further notice.

“Hasn’t the world got real problems, other than a path in a park?” said Mr Moore, who accused the protestors of wasting the City’s resources. “They’re ratbags.”

Councillors Monica Burgmann and Chris Harris, who joined the protestors at the site that morning, said they were prepared to be arrested if residents chose to block access to construction workers.

Just 15 minutes after the arrest, Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union representatives had inspected the site to find several safety breaches by contractors, including poor fencing and traffic management, and advised that work be stopped.

Clover Moore, described allegations that the City had dispatched police onto protestors as “outrageous.”

“It’s sad that it’s come to this,” said former Playschool star, and local, Benita Collings, who linked arms with others across the gate to the site as the group chanted, “We shall not be moved” and “More trees, no path.”

Behind them, several banners were draped over the balconies of the City Quarter apartments, bearing slogans against the concrete switchback path the City plans to build through the habitat.

The ongoing protest was staged by residents and City Councillors alleging they were not properly consulted about changes to the Orphan School Creek Habitat development plan, which saw the inclusion of a 130-metre-long zig-zag path to enable wheelchair access.

“We will stand firm and get arrested because we feel strongly about it,” said Ms Stringfellow, who was lifted off the site by police less than a week before.

Despite residents’ hopes to have the path removed being defeated at a Council meeting over two weeks ago, an Extraordinary meeting was held on Monday to debate the issue again.

Backed by four City Councillors and a small group of residents of which her husband was a part, Ms Moore used her casting vote to crush Mr Harris’s motion to scrap the path, which residents say destroys their vision of a wildlife habitat.

“I want to stress that we do consult. We make our decisions based on community feedback,” said Ms Moore.

Others agreed: “I think it’s outrageous that the development on this site has been blocked by a group of protestors that have been whipped into a frenzy by a couple of City Councillors,” said Councillor Phillip Black in support of Ms Moore.

A City spokesperson said that, despite community concerns, the proposed ‘native habitat’ would surround and form a canopy over the path, with no impact on the park’s ability to attract native birds and wildlife.