Councillor Fleeton changed his mind very quickly
Camera IconCouncillor Fleeton changed his mind very quickly Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Opinion: Baysie councillor Fleeton goes with the flow

Brian Greig, BayswaterEastern Reporter

WHEN the motion to support marriage equality was first proposed at Bayswater Council, Cr Brent Fleeton took to social media to slam it.

He insisted it was not council business, dismissed it as “irrelevant” and mocked it as a waste of council time.

However, as community support swung behind the motion, Cr Fleeton produced a different, contrary argument.

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On the night of the debate he suggested ratepayers should be consulted on the matter, presumably through some kind of plebiscite.

Sound familiar?

In the space of five days, Cr Fleeton’s opposition to council support for marriage equality apparently switched from “not our business and waste of time” to “a council issue so important we should spend money and resources on it”.

These debating strategies to deflect, delay and derail the motion are the exact same strategies used by conservative MPs in Federal Parliament to block marriage equality itself.

The City of Bayswater should be congratulated for ignoring this obfuscation and standing up for the civil rights of its residents.

Brian Greig,

Bayswater