27 August 2024
Councillor Jilly Gibson’s 25 year career on North Sydney Council ended last night with tributes and accolades, but also a bitter note as councillors combined to vote down a plan to rename Kirribilli’s Burton Street Plaza after her.
Gibson is standing down at the September 14 election, meaning that last night’s meeting was her last. She gained election to council in 1999, and became mayor in 2012, a role she occupied for ten years.
Last night’s council meeting dedicated about one hour to hearing representations from Gibson’s daughters, partner, supporters and a number of goodwill messages from eminent local residents including Sir Peter Cosgrove, Tony Shepherd AO, Dr Keith Hartman AM and Max Connery OAM. Former federal MP Trent Zimmerman and state MP Tim James also sent messages of thanks. There were some light human moments as Gibson’s grandchildren addressed the chamber.
Gibson herself gave a defiant speech, mixing bouquets and brickbats. She said “I have a lot of critics in this community and give me a hard time often, but my critics can say what they like. I’ve been to six elections and in each election I got the highest vote in the ward every time. It’s what happens at the ballot box that really says what the community feels about you. So I feel good about that. I feel proud about that.”
She listed her greatest achievements as the restoration of public rubbish bins, which had previously been removed by former mayor Ted Mack; the introduction of the Aboriginal flag; to chambers; the creation of infrastructure supporting a public beach at Neutral Bay; and creation of public open space areas such as the Waverton Coal Loader and the Brett Whiteley Plaza at North Sydney.
However, she also revisited what she described as the “disappointments” of her tenure, expanding at great length on incidents of sexist behaviour from other councillors which she said had caused health and stress issues in past council terms. Gibson also defended her role in initiating the renovation of North Sydney Olympic Pool, currently bedeviled with cost and delivery delays that are being blamed on contracts signed when she was mayor. “The pool was falling to pieces, it had to be done,” she said. “All this nonsense about why we elected to go with a separate design and construct contract, that’s what happened at the time because people didn’t want us to close the pool, so we were advised that if we wanted to design it first and then do the construction contract, it would probably be closed for a year or two years while we did the design because the pool had to be pulled out to see what was underneath it.”
With Gibson’s speech concluded, the council then voted on whether to rename the Kirribilli plaza after her, moved by James Spenceley and seconded by Ian Mutton. The end vote: just four votes counted for the amendment from nine councillors, with the Real Independents Zoe Baker and MaryAnn Beregi, Labor’s Shannon Welch and Godfrey Santer and Georgia Lamb, elected under the Sustainable Australia Party banner, not supporting the amendment. There is some conjecture as to whether Santer’s vote was accurately recorded, with video suggesting he raised his hand to above his nose even as Baker was pronouncing a failed vote. This would have seen passage of the amendment but in any event he did not challenge the chair to change the outcome.
The vote incited Gibson to address the public gallery, stating, in part, “They can’t find it in their hearts. This has been the meanest Council ever. I am off. You are so mean. You are so mean. You are so mean. Can’t even take on board that suggestion. Just meanness. But people are sitting here and they know that you are mean spirited.” Turning to Mayor Baker, she said “Your mum was mayor for a year and got a building named after her,” a reference to the Carole Baker Building in North Sydney. And with that Gibson was out the chamber door for the last time, with most attendees from the public gallery also following, for a celebratory function at a North Sydney pub.