Culture

Melbourne Councillors Have Been “King-Hit” And “Body-Slammed” At A Meeting About Parking Meters

"We applaud people in the Arab Spring standing up and saying this is not right ... But when it happens in Yarraville, people say that we are yuppies," the protesters' spokesperson said.

by Meg Watson  18 November 2015

Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook so you always know where to find us.

Yarraville is a lovely suburb in Melbourne’s inner-west with a pretty cutesy reputation. It has a great art deco theatre, a good bookshop, lots of nice little cafes and a large population of young families. Around eight kilometres from the CBD and somewhat isolated over the West Gate Bridge, it still offers cheapish rent having been relatively late to the houseparty gone horribly wrong that is gentrification.

Over the past year, however, this community of 27-year-old graphic designers and middle-aged writers has been in all-out revolt, and last night things got violent. At around 8pm, a Maribyrnong Council meeting to vote on whether to remove paid parking meters in the suburb’s main strip ended in a literal brawl, with one councillor being reportedly “king hit” by a middle-aged man and another being “body-slammed to the floor”. Though assessed for concussion and treated for cuts and bruises, both council members who were attacked are now doing fine. However, they do seem understandably confused by the situation. The gist of the reasoning behind their physical assaults lay in the fact people are now being asked to shell out an extra $1.80/hour when heading out for a $25 brunch.

If lattes tip over $4, there’s gonna be a riot.

I mean, okay. We clearly need to take a little step back.

This all started in October last year when the council moved to introduce paid parking on select sections of the few main streets. Though the initiative would benefit the council to the tune of $320,000 per year, it was widely condemned by the community with many saying it would adversely affect local businesses. When the move was first being considered, around 500 people protested with a march through the main strip, and its eventual vote was soundtracked by a chorus of people yelling “shame” from the public gallery.

From here, opponents took their action online. A Facebook page ‘Yarraville Village Says No To Public Parking’ started regularly posting news and campaigns, eventually racking up more than 2,000 followers. They started making angry merchandise with the offending Council members’ faces on it and launched a Pozible (dubbed “The War Chest”) to raise funds and contest the decision in court. It quickly received more than $10,000, and was supported by more than one video of a campaigner literally running the streets aggressively pointing at free car parks.

Dan, you little star. Where is the Mayor of City of Maribyrnong going to park??

Posted by Yarraville Village says no to paid parking on Saturday, 22 November 2014

For whatever reason, this didn’t deter the council. The parking meters were installed just a couple of months ago and have been the target of vandalism ever since. Some were smashed with axes:

Other fell victim to Liquid Nails:

And the eventual CCTV cameras installed to deter further damage have met similar fates:

Alongside all this, there has been some genuine struggle. Businesses in the area have reported significant losses in customers as locals have opted for the free Coles carpark 500 metres down the street. The fruit vendor is considering laying off his small staff. One of the protester’s spokespeople claims shop owners have defaulted on mortgages. That’s not nothing, and combined with the plan’s lowly 10 percent public approval rating, it’s something local representatives should probably be listening to.

But it’s also no reason to jump a middle-aged local representative and put your hands around his throat. Speaking to the ABC, Deputy Mayor Catherine Cumming claimed one protester last night tried to choke councillor Nam Quach, who had voted in favour of keeping the metres, and another threw a chair across the packed room. Councillor Michael Clarke also stated Cr Quach was “belted in the mouth with a full fist” after being bodyslammed.

After being questioned by The Age, campaign spokesperson Megan Darling clarified she did not condone the violence before claiming the “council have forced this behaviour”.

“We applaud people in the Arab Spring standing up and saying this is not right … But when it happens in Yarraville, people say that we are yuppies.”

To keep that comment in context, you should know it’s being universally condemned by other campaigners on the group’s Facebook page. “To compare a campaign against parking meters with the fight for basic human rights is so appalling that I can’t quite believe it,” said one commenter. “[It’s] absurd and childish if not yuppyish in the extreme,” said another.

The guy who just wants more people in his fruit shop likely had nothing to do with this; neither did the people who are trying to hold onto their shifts at the local cafe. Regardless, this will absolutely be what they’re remembered for.

–