Leichhardt Council’s plan to house Syrian refugees at Rozelle’s Callan Park has been approved
Pro-refugee advocates rallying at Leichhardt Council last night.
LEICHHARDT Council has approved a controversial plan to create a refugee hub in the inner west.
Neglected buildings in Callan Park could be turned into housing for refugees. Picture: Craig Wilson
Leichardt Council will apply for funding to be used to upgrade the buildings. Picture: Craig Wilson
Buildings which were formerly used for mental health services could become a refugee hub. Picture: Craig Wilson
Protesters at the November 25 Leichhardt Council meeting over a proposal to bring Syrian refugees to Callan Park.
At a council meeting on Tuesday night, council voted to seek state government funding to house Syrian refugees at Callan Park in Rozelle.
The funding would be used to upgrade disused buildings at the park that were previously used for mental health services.
Council would then apply for an intake of refugees from the Federal Government’s current intake of 12,000 although how many could be accommodated has not been decided.
Mayor Darcy Byrne said people were fearful about asylum seekers and refugees but this was a time for leadership.
He said white supremacists had attended the last meeting to try to subvert democracy but it hadn’t worked.
“Syria is the worst humanitarian crisis since WW2 ... and if the inner west can’t do it than how can we ask the rest of Australia to do it.”
The motion was earlier defeated when Greens councillors voted with the Liberals against the plan despite arguing in support of the refugee hub.
NSW will take 7000 of the 12,000 Syrian refugees due to be welcomed into Australia.
Greens councillor Rochelle Porteous claimed the proposal did not go far enough and should have included a banner announcing Leichhardt as a refugee welcome hub and writing to the Federal Government denouncing its asylum seeker policies.
Premier Mike Baird has committed to resettling up to 7000 of the 12,000 Syrian refugees due to be welcomed into Australia by the federal government over the next 18 months.
Cr Emsley said it was more important than ever to make a clear distinction between refugee and asylum seeker issues given what had happened in Europe in recent weeks. Picture: AFP/Armend Nimani
The original motion called for the council to seek state and federal funding for a refugee hub at Callan Park, which has historically been used for mental health services.
Labor councillor Simon Emsley put forward the original motion saying the inner city had much to offer refugees and he was astonished to see Greens councillors knock it back.
Cr Emsley said given what had transpired in Europe in recent weeks, it was more important than ever to make a clear distinction between refugee and asylum seeker issues.
“Without this distinction, support for a practical program aiding refugee settlement within our local community will be severely weakened.”
“That is why I have literally begged Greens councillors to put any asylum-seeker matters they want considered in a separate motion to a subsequent meeting.
Police were called to the last meeting after anti-Islam protesters stormed the chamber. Brandishing placards and shouting slogans, the protesters interrupted the meeting to slam the refugee proposal.
Claiming to be from the Australian Party for Freedom, the men exchanged angry words with members of the public gallery before being thrown out of the chamber.