General News
26 February, 2025
Council votes against Rabbits Eat Lettuce
Festival application knocked back
It’s a tricky business, politics, as evidenced by the bruising Cr Joel Richters received in last week’s Southern Downs Regional Council's meeting. The self-described “passionate advocate” for events like the Rabbits Eat Lettuce Festival, Cr Richters has landed himself in hot water for his open support of a pending application before council.
Cr Richters publicly supported the Rabbits Eat Lettuce application to hold multiple festivals in the Southern Downs. He wasn’t shy in talking to residents in the electorate about it or, for that matter, the media.
In June last year, Cr Richters even wrote a letter of support on SDRC letterhead to Erik Lamir, director of REL Events Pty Ltd, organisers of Rabbits Eat Lettuce. In the letter, which was supplied to The Town & Country Journal by council staff, Cr Richters described the festival as “a highlight of our local cultural calendar” and one that has “a positive impact on the local economy.”
Mr Richters then offered suggestions to Mr Lamir including the area of “financial support”.
“From securing venues and permits to booking performers and implementing safety measures, the costs associated with even planning can be substantial. Therefore, I urge you to consider providing funding assistance to help ensure the continued success of the Rabbits Eat Lettuce Festival.”
Mayor Melissa Hamilton declined to comment specifically on Cr Richter’s actions but made a point to explain the rules around conflict of interest and the tricky business of supporting measures that await council decisions.
Councillors voted against the application by Rabbits Eat Lettuce to hold events in the Southern Downs in last week’s ordinary meeting of council, where Cr Richters was barred from voting or debating on the issue.
Disclosure in chambers
The first signs of trouble arose when Cr Joel Richters voluntarily declared a conflict of interest in the agenda item. He told his colleagues that during the election he stated that he supported festivals in the region and that he attended the Rabbits Eat Lettuce 2024 festival “as an observer”. He also said he wrote a media statement regarding pill testing which did occur at the 2024 festival and he met with the Rabbits Eat Lettuce director in December “where we discussed pill testing”. Cr Richters also admitted to a phone conversation with the director of Rabbits Eat Lettuce, confirming “they’ve seen the report” that was tabled in chambers but felt he could make an unbiased decision when it came to the vote.
Cr Richters did not refer to the June letter of support to the organisers and sources close to the matter have said that other councillors were unaware of that letter. One councillor told the paper that they were disappointed that Cr Richters did not share the information.
The Mayor asked him that “in relation to media statements that you have made do you believe that the public would find those media statements led to a perception of bias?”
Cr Richters said he didn’t think so and a vote from the floor as to whether he would be able to stay in chambers, debate and vote went against him.
Cr Harslett, Cr Deane, Deputy Mayor Windle and Cr Pigeon voted in favour of Cr Richters remaining in the room and voting. Cr Wantling, Mayor Hamilton, Cr Bartley and Cr McDonald voted against the motion. The Mayor cast the deciding vote against Cr Richters and he was forced to absent himself from voting or debating.
Why support is conflict
As Mayor Hamilton later pointed out, councillors can be generally supportive of ideas - like having festivals in the Southern Downs – but they cannot publicly support a specific business or organisation or application when council staff are forming reports for councillors who are in the midst of coming to a consensus on the matter. Cr Richters public support of Rabbits Eat Lettuce as an organisation and its application put all councillors in an uncomfortable position.
One councillor expressed frustration but understanding that often councillors attend community meetings where they cannot publicly show either support or lack thereof with residents if there is a matter currently in the decision process. The councillor described sitting stony-faced in meetings where feelings were clearly running high and being unable to signal anything but attentiveness. Constituents, no doubt, are frustrated in these incidents where they expect individual councillors to show their hand but cannot. If they do, like Joel Richters, they will have a conflict of interest in the final decision-making process.
