Port Stephens Mayor urges end to online abuse as community faces rising hostility

newy.com.au – Port Stephens Mayor Leah Anderson has urged residents to help foster more respectful online behaviour, citing a concerning rise in abusive comments directed at councillors, council staff and community members over the past six months.

Speaking at last Tuesday’s Council meeting, Mayor Anderson called for a united approach to improve the tone of social media interactions, describing current levels of hostility as damaging to individuals and the broader community.

“For too long, we’ve let people make hurtful and inappropriate comments online that we’d never put up with face to face,” she said. “This isn’t just ‘unacceptable’, it’s truly damaging to individuals and it chips away at the very fabric of our community.”

Mayor Anderson said that although Port Stephens is known for its diversity and strong sense of community, the behaviour of a vocal minority online is undermining those strengths.

“When conversations get nasty or aggressive, it just shuts people down. They don’t feel safe to speak up or get involved,” she said. “That’s not just disappointing, it’s genuinely harmful. It impacts people’s heads and hearts, stops good ideas from being heard, and weakens the very community spirit we’re all trying to build.”

The Mayor stressed that promoting respectful online discussion was not about limiting debate, but about encouraging responsible engagement. “Everyone has the right to be heard, but that right comes with a responsibility to be respectful,” she said.

She encouraged residents to call out poor behaviour when they see it and to model better standards of communication, particularly for younger generations.

“Our kids are watching, and the tone we set today shapes how they engage with each other tomorrow,” Mayor Anderson said. “Social media can be a powerful tool for sharing opinions and ideas – but we need to do it in a way that respects others, even when we disagree.”

She concluded by inviting the community to continue giving feedback to Council in a constructive and kind manner, reinforcing her commitment to transparency and respectful dialogue.

“I want people to feel safe to engage with their Council and with each other, online and offline,” she said. “We’re a proud, inclusive, and resilient community, and together, we can keep it that way.”