Councillors Divided Over Peace Rally
Illawarra Mercury
Monday March 31, 2003
DEBATE over the Shoalhaven's Palm Sunday peace march has divided Shoalhaven City Council and left organisers without insurance coverage.
The annual event, which is celebrated nationally, is due to be held through the streets of Nowra on Sunday, April 13.
Insurers, Jardines said they would refuse coverage of the march, if council requested.
``Our insurers have advised that cover would not be extended to the peace march, as it is not an activity that is a normal part of the council's business," general manager Russ Pigg said.
But councillors are split over whether the event should go ahead and whether the council should consider providing public liability insurance - even though it can not - to cover it.
On the one side are those such as Councillor John Anderson, who fears the march will become a ``no war" march, offending defence personnel and their families in the region.
On the other side are those such as Cr Patricia Mason who believes peace activists have every right to march and is convinced there is no intention to denigrate defence personnel.
Last week councillors voted seven to six to let the council's public liability insurance cover the event.
But Mayor Greg Watson and councillors Anderson and Shelley Hancock filed a rescission motion opposing the insurance support.
Technically that motion will not be debated until the next council meeting on April 29 - after the Palm Sunday march.
Mr Pigg said he was investigating how other councils handled similar requests and would discuss the matter with the Mayor.
Cr Mason said she was disappointed with the opposition.
``Peace marches happen quite often and we have them regularly. The reason why people want to take part is because they are powerless to do anything else," she said.
However, Cr Anderson said it was inappropriate the council provide insurance coverage for a march he predicted would become a ``no war" rally.
``Palm Sunday is traditionally a stance for peace but this in my mind was clearly not going to be the usual Christian Palm Sunday peace march," he said.
Peace march organiser and Gilmore Peace Group member Michael Cox said the council would be ``silly" not to support the march.
``There's a lot of members of the Christian and church community looking forward to this march," he said.
``I think what the peace march and the people organising it are saying is it's a defence town and we 100 per cent support defence personnel. This is no criticism of (them), this is criticism of the Federal Government."
Council has already given permission for the march to go ahead, subject to 11 conditions of approval, which includes organisers providing public liability insurance coverage of $10 million.
The march is due to begin at 11.30am at Harry Sawkins Park, move along Graham St, North St, Kinghorne St, Junction St, Berry St, Bridge Rd and return to the park.
© 2003 Illawarra Mercury
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