In short:
Wyndham City Council CEO Stephen Wall has apologised after comparing the council to Gaza during a staff meeting, upsetting local Muslim employees and sparking community backlash in one of Melbourne’s most diverse cities. Council has since removed the remark from its staff recording.
Gaza Joke Causes Staff Walkout
Wyndham City Council CEO Stephen Wall has apologised to staff after comparing the council’s work environment to Gaza during a recent all-staff meeting — a comment that led several Muslim employees to walk out and lodge complaints.
Mr Wall, who earns more than $490,000 a year, made the remark while addressing staff upon returning from extended leave, saying he didn’t want to “return to Gaza.” The comment was made during a meeting streamed to around 2000 council employees, many of whom live locally and have family and friends in Palestine.
Wyndham, which is home to one of Victoria’s largest Muslim populations — with about 10 per cent of the city’s 335,000 residents identifying as Muslim — has since edited the Gaza reference out of the official staff recording.
In a written apology to staff, Mr Wall acknowledged the offence caused by his comments.
“I really do regret the clumsy use of references to Gaza and recognise that this has caused distress to a number of staff. I hope you will accept my apology. I feel dreadful about this and certainly commit to doing better in future,” he said.
Council Watch spokesman Dean Hurlston said the comments were “highly disappointing from a leader of a public organisation,” and called for action from council leaders.
“Ratepayers and staff deserve much better. The admission and apology are good, but they are not enough,” he said. “The Mayor must take decisive action immediately.”
Wyndham Mayor Mia Shaw said she was satisfied the CEO’s apology was genuine and that council would continue focusing on delivering for residents.
“I understand this is a sensitive issue for many in the community.
I am satisfied that the CEO deeply regrets his error and that his apology to staff is genuine.
We hope that we can move on with the important work of delivering for our community,” Cr Shaw said.
Many local residents have expressed disappointment that such a comment could be made in a city as culturally diverse as Wyndham, where communities from more than 130 countries live side by side.
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