Deputy Lord Mayor Slams Sexist Language in Newcastle Council Election Campaign

Newcastle’s Deputy Lord Mayor, Declan Clausen, has taken a strong stance against the use of alledged sexist language in the ongoing council election campaign. In a recent Facebook post, Clausen called out certain male candidates for their repeated use of terms like “vanity” and “glamour” to dismiss the achievements of the current Lord Mayor, Nuatali Nelmes.

Clausen expressed concern over what he described as “lazy tropes” being employed to undermine the significant work done by Nelmes during her tenure. He pointed out that similar projects undertaken by past male Lord Mayors were not subjected to the same dismissive language.

“When John Tate advocated for Art Gallery funding, he was never described as pursuing ‘vanity’ projects,” Clausen noted. He further highlighted the efforts of former Lord Mayor Jeff McCloy, who aggressively pursued building height increases in Hunter Street Mall, yet his initiatives were not labelled as “glamour” or “vanity.”

The Deputy Lord Mayor’s comments come amid a campaign where the achievements of Nelmes, are being downplayed by some candidates through the use of gendered language. Clausen argued that such terms are not only misleading but also reflect a deeper issue of sexism within political discourse.

While Clausen didn’t mention any names, Newy 87.8 was present at Town Hall last night and observed that the two men using this language were Steve O’Brien and Dr. Ross Kerridge. Dr. Ross Kerridge referred to Nelmes’ projects as “Glamour projects” but declines to answer any questions from Newy 87.8 so we are unable to approach him. Meanwhile, we are awaiting a response from Steve O’Brien, who labelled Nelmes’ initiatives as “Show Pony” and “Glam” projects.

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The South Newcastle Beach projects seems to have strong community support based on reactions to a Newy 87.8 post. However, some in the community, like Bernard Hockings, Manager at Drift Bikes Metro, have a different perspective. Hockings commented, “Supercars and $20m projects are glamour projects. Overdevelopment might be greed. Having your photo appear unnecessarily on public billboards can be called vanity.” He also noted that while council candidates oppose misogyny, homophobia, and bullying, using such tactics can belittle those who have genuinely suffered.

Under Nelmes’ leadership, Newcastle has seen significant investments in infrastructure that Clausen argues are crucial for the city’s growth and development. These projects include footpath and road upgrades, playgrounds, stormwater drainage improvements, and accessibility enhancements at public pools. Additionally, the council has rolled out new cycleways and installed electric vehicle charging stations, investments that Clausen believes are vital to keeping the community connected, safe, and thriving.

“These investments are in essential infrastructure that keeps our community connected, safe, and thriving,” Clausen said. “To dismiss them as anything less is not only misleading—it’s sexist and misogynistic.”

Clausen made it clear that the projects undertaken under Nelmes’ leadership are far from being about vanity or glamour. Instead, they are driven by a vision for Newcastle’s future, aimed at fostering growth and ensuring the city remains a vibrant place for its residents.

“The reality is, these projects are not about vanity, they are about vision. They are not about glamour, they are about growth,” Clausen stated in his post.

Also in response to Declan’s post, anonymous Reddit user Objective_Act_6022 said “Yasmin Catley, the Minister for the Hunter and whose daughter is the chief of staff to Nelmes, used the phrase vanity project in 2016”, they also said “Is Declan gonna call out Yasmin for being sexist?”

Declan concluded by urging the community and other candidates to rise above such reductive language and engage in a higher standard of debate, one that recognises the contributions of all leaders, regardless of gender.

“Our community deserves better than lazy tropes that seek to diminish the significance of a leader’s work simply because of her gender,” Clausen said.

Lord Mayor Candidates Should Be Open To Answer Questions From Media

Newy 87.8 is committed to supporting and reporting on all Lord Mayor candidates’ policies and intentions. However, to ensure a fair and transparent election in a democracy, it is fundamentally important that candidates and future Lord Mayors remain accessible for discussion and open to criticism. We believe that when candidates decline to comment or engage in dialogue on matters important to our city, it undermines the democratic process.

Newy 87.8 is keen to address these and other issues with Dr. Ross Kerridge, but he has has asked not to be approached comment. Nevertheless, we remain open to discussing this with him if he becomes available, as we believe it is crucial for the public to hear both sides of any story to make informed decisions. Dr. Kerridge is a significant figure in Newcastle’s democratic landscape, and we would like to support and convey his intentions to our growing audience. Our website now reaches over 80,000 people each month, a number that continues to grow, with our Facebook posts reaching 1.2 million people over a 28-day period. It’s essential that our audience remains informed in the lead-up to this important election for our city.

It is also important to note that our audience includes people who may not watch TV news or can’t afford online newspapers, and they deserve to be informed just as much as traditional media consumers. Newy 87.8 also notes that all other candidates we have spoken to have been open to discussion.

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