ALBURY Council has referred the decision of creating an exclusion zone around the Englehardt Street abortion clinic to the NSW parliament.
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The public gallery was again filled with supporters from both sides of the bitter debate on Monday night with security guards also present before the meeting.
The council voted 6-3 again not to go ahead with a safe access area even though the legal advice sought since the last time council debated the issue in December supported the ability to create and enforce such a zone.
The NSW parliament is due to re-visit safe access to reproductive health clinics in coming months.
Deputy mayor Amanda Cohn said council had again blown a “golden opportunity” to resolve the issue.
“We can do this and we should,” she said.
“If the business in question was a butcher shop that was picketed weekly by vegetarians who harassed customers on the way in and opposed customers eating meat, we would have dealt with this years ago,” she said.
“Waiting around for the state government to take action is unacceptable.”
Cr David Thurley said it was a simple matter of medical privacy.
“If it was a clinic dealing in sexually transmitted diseases and men were required to attend it would have been fixed a long time ago,” he said.
Cr John Stuchbery, a doctor, said: “It is about we the powerful helping those who are powerless”.
Cr Darren Cameron, who moved the motion to allow the NSW parliament to deal with the matter, was jeered by sections of the gallery after the debate concluded.
“I’m disturbed to hear Cr Cohn say if she doesn’t get her way or the state government doesn’t bring legislation that pleases her, this council and its ratepayers will be forced to endure this exercise again,” he said.
“I don’t know how many times this council has to reject this nonsense, but I will keep fronting up and debate it vigorously each time.”
Cr Cameron described the understanding police would support council rangers in moving people on if an exclusion zone did exist or issuing $100 fines as “pure fiction”.
“It is time to get a grip and face reality,” he said.
“The Local Government Act is not designed nor equipped to enforce these kinds of laws.
“It is the province of state governments.”
The exclusion zone proposed in the legal advice included defined areas along Englehardt, Victoria and Creek streets.