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A colourful array of clown-costumed protesters filled the typically vacant Brisbane council gallery on Tuesday to patiently mock the city’s elected figures.
Community group Tight Knit organised the showing, saying it wanted to highlight poor behaviour by local government representatives.
“We’re here today to bring awareness to the fact that Brisbane City Council often doesn’t operate for its residents, and also we’re here to show that even a gallery of clowns can behave better than our own elected officials,” organiser Tully Connor said.
“We adore this city, I love this city, and when big decisions are made without any input from local communities it can be really hurtful and harmful.”
The normally quiet proceedings at City Hall – which often are attended by just two journalists and a similar number of ratepayers – were a bustle of several dozen clowns and media teams from just before 1pm on Tuesday, with a long queue to enter the chamber and many people being unable to fit on the public benches.
Connor flagged transparency and accountability as among her primary concerns.
The group said it was not affiliated with a particular party, but councillors from the Labor opposition and Greens were consulting with organisers in the lead-up to the protest at King George Square.
“We’re not politically aligned, of course we have our own values, and those values are represented far more by some political parties than others, but we’re not here to hate on a political party or promote a different one,” the 18-year-old Tight Knit executive added.
“I think having a council or any elected official in a majority government for so long, they get a bit too comfortable in their role.
“Obviously the other political parties … are guilty of doing it, but when you have such a big majority there’s no one there to hold them to account.”
The clowns were well-behaved during a boisterous question time, quietly watching on as councillors sparred over everything from development to wooden possum boxes.
Significant motions were scheduled to be discussed later in the afternoon, including the plan to increase building heights in the heart of Wynnum.
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