Councils act to combat abuse

Melbourne’s local government peak has held a roundtable event to discuss increasing abuse of councillors.

The high-level discussion – hosted last week by the Municipal Association of Victoria – brought together Australian and European mayors, CEOs, government officials, academics and other experts. Among the topics discussed the growing prevalence of trolling, doxxing, deepfakes, and the malicious misuse of governance processes.

“The rising threats of disinformation, online harassment and intimidation targeting local government leaders and elected representatives continue to have very real consequences – particularly for women and underrepresented groups – and they threaten the strength of representative democracy itself,” says MAV. 

MAV Head of Democracy and Diplomacy Ika Trijsburg said hostile activism is intended to censor opposing views. “Local leaders are at the frontline of our democracy. Increasing disinformation and harassment campaigns are designed to silence voices, discredit individuals and weaken trust in government,” she said. 

A global study shows that 40 per cent of respondents felt hostile behaviour was justified to drive change, with 27 per cent admitting to attacking people online and 25 per cent intentionally spreading disinformation. 

“These trends – combined with a polarised information environment and declining institutional trust – place growing pressure on local government to lead responses that protect leaders without curtailing legitimate democratic debate,” Trijsburg said. 

MAV President Cr Jennifer Anderson said the roundtable discussions were about “safeguarding the future of active local democracy” and ensuring “local leaders are supported to do their job safely, and that councils can continue to engage communities in robust democratic processes without fear or manipulation”.

Council campaign calls for community respect

Meanwhile, a marketing campaign devised by Tweed Shire Council in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales is calling for community to respect its workers.

Rolled out over the next six months, the multi-pronged campaign comprises short-form video, social media posts and face-to-face interactions to help shift perceptions of council staff.

Rather than being developed by an advertising agency, the campaign was instead created by council workers themselves. It seeks to remind Tweed Shire’s 100,000 residents that council workers are also members of the community.

Troy Green – Tweed Shire Council General Manager – said the power of the campaign lies in its authenticity. “This didn’t come from the top. It came from staff who experience both the sense of purpose and pressure of working in local government every day. That’s why it works.”