Newcastle council rejects call for report on Voice to Parliament 'yes' campaign spend

Labor lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes on Tuesday night asked councillors to renew their commitment to the statement, which acknowledges Awabakal and Worimi people as the local traditional owners of the land, and set out a list of actions to further reconciliation in light of the failed referendum.

"I think that it's a really important time for us to stand up and make sure we're really supporting all members of our community, particularly restating our long-held commitment to true reconciliation, understanding and appreciation of 60,000 years of history in this country," she said.

"It's not a show of leadership to sit on your hands and go, 'I can't decide'. A show of leadership is actually making a decision and taking a stand and I'm exceptionally proud the council supported the 'yes' campaign and I know the majority of Novocastrians backed that decision.

"I still have hope, and that's all you need."

As the only councillor to have publicly backed the 'no' campaign, Liberal Cr Callum Pull took the opportunity to call for a breakdown of the council's spend, including in-kind support and the value of staff time, supporting the 'yes' campaign.

When he reminded Cr Nelmes at the end of the debate, he was quickly told to "sit down".

"There was no seconder, no one jumped around this table to second your amendment, it lapsed councillor," Cr Nelmes said.

Cr Pull maintained no seconder was called for and asked that it be reflected in Tuesday's meeting minutes.

"I'm disappointed but not surprised," he told the Newcastle Herald.

"For a council that talks so much about transparency, it should be upfront about how much of ratepayers' money it spent supporting this campaign.

"Council doesn't support these campaigns with government money, it's ratepayers' money. The 47 per cent of Novocastrians who voted no, and 56 per cent of Ward 4 residents who voted no deserve to know just how much of their money was spent on this failed campaign."

Greens Cr Charlotte McCabe refused to support the amendment, arguing it smacked of a reference to opposition leader Peter Dutton's calls for audits for spending on Aboriginal communities.

"I want to say to the people of Newcastle that it can be extremely uncomfortable to learn about the truth of this country and how First Nations people were treated and continue to be treated in their own country," she said.

"As people who live here in Australia we have two choices; we can either lean into that discomfort or we can turn away, and I say to you that in my experience of continuing to lean in, listen and learn I find that on the other side of that discomfort there is understanding and there is connection and that every time it is always worth the effort."

Cr Pull stood alone in his vote against the mayoral minute, with most councillors congratulating Newcastle on being the region's only federal electorate to record a 'yes' majority vote.

The decision to recommit to the statement had the support of Labor Cr Deahnna Richardson, a proud Wiradjuri woman and the first Aboriginal woman elected to Newcastle council.

"It is something that has certainly buoyed me after the result, obviously it was quite devastating for me and a lot of people in the Aboriginal community locally who were really hoping for change," she said.

"It's been really lovely to reflect on the fact there was such a strong turnout in Newcastle in terms of people who votes Yes, stepped up and were part of that army of people who were having those conversations and engaging with the broader community, because it's something Aboriginal people weren't able to do alone."

In recommitting to the statement, the council will ask the Guraki Aboriginal Advisory Committee to develop a list of actions at its next meeting detailing how the council could fulfil its obligations and further reconciliation.

Guraki was established more than 24 years ago, and Greens Cr John Mackenzie pointed out it hadn't created unprecedented division, established a new level of government, or become a bureaucratic or administrative burden on the council's decision-making.

"What is has done is precisely what it was intended to do, which was to provide a voice for Indigenous people, for First Nations people, for Traditional Owners to have insight into the decisions that impact upon their lives," he said.

The 1998 statement supported the rights of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to respect and conserve cultural practices and committed to promoting activities that increase cultural sensitivity and awareness.

The then council also agreed to develop an agreement for the care of the local environment and work towards the recovery of Indigenous languages, health, cultural practices and lost kinship.

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