It appears that wearing a green shirt has the same effect on the Queensland government as waving a red rag to a bull, if last week’s experience of Mackay Regional councillor, Martin Bella is any indication.
Cr Bella, a well-known Sarina physiotherapist, cattle and cane farmer, and former Australian rugby league footballer, was refused entry by police to the Governing From the Regions welcome reception at the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre last Monday evening despite having an official invitation to the event.
He had earlier addressed 70 or so people at an AgForce protest in the nearby Jubilee Park, where he wore a green shirt that he still had on when he went to take part in the reception. The shirts became a symbol of the movement opposing the government’s hardline vegetation management rule changes on May Day in Brisbane, when 1000 or more people protested at Parliament House, wearing green and declaring that they were the true environmentalists.
They and the #reclaimgreen motto made their next appearance a week later at Beef Australia in Rockhampton when people turned out en masse in green to greet Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
The following week, Cr Bella announced that he had been invited to a reception for the Premier in Mackay, stating in capital letters that he would be wearing green. When he attempted to join the reception, he was turned away. According to a police spokesman, invitations to the reception required an RSVP and it was understood that Cr Bella had failed to respond to his invitation.
“This was not a decision by the Queensland Police Service, however the advice to the councillor was delivered to him by police present at the event,” the spokesman said. “The advice was accepted by the councillor.”
A spokesman for the Premier had a different version of the refusal, saying that Cr Bella had posted on Facebook that he was going to the reception to “make his presence felt” and that he had abused the police present.
“Given what went on in Rockhampton, everyone was a little nervous,” he said. “Martin was treated the same way anyone would be who said they were going to make their presence felt.”
He said the decision to refuse Cr Bella admission was made by members of the Premier’s staff, and suggested that he should have attended the community forum at Cannonvale the following day where people could “get things off their chest”.
Cr Bella said he was “utterly disgusted and infuriated” by the insinuations.
“There’s not a chance in hell I would have said that to the police – I have good relations with them and they were doing what they had to do,” he said. “In no way was I threatening in my post, and there was at least one other councillor who didn’t RSVP, plus our CEO, who were allowed to enter.”
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
