A Perth council stopped local newspapers from being stocked at its library, claiming bad press coverage of the local government created a workplace safety issue for staff.
The PerthNow paper — printed by The West Australian — and the Post newspaper were for months no longer available at the Town of Cambridge’s library in Floreat or at its administration building.
But in a sensational backflip, a town spokesperson claimed on Friday evening the town had “identified an administrative error resulting in a miscommunication over the distribution of Perth Now and The Post at the Town’s Library”.
“This has been rectified and the Town confirms that copies are freely available from the Cambridge Library,” they said.
Cr Gary Mack said he was unaware of the policy until it was reported in the media and told The West prior to the reversal he would write to the new CEO and ask for the papers to be reinstated.
“I believe if the town is getting bad press, then that should prompt some self-reflection on whether our decisions accord with public sentiment and if we are consulting sufficiently with the community,” Cr Mack said.
“That’s a better way of dealing with bad coverage than just banning the papers.”
The Post reported Mayor Keri Shannon raised the issue with a town director, who said he had removed the newspapers from the library and the administration building during his time as acting CEO last year.
“The issue was raised by some staff as well as the mayor and two councillors,” then-acting CEO Kelton Hincks wrote in an email to a resident.
Mr Hincks reportedly claimed that criticism of the council had created a psychological hazard to staff and that this was a “key driver” in his decision “to remove the papers over the consideration of any other factors”.
National and state papers such as The West Australian, The Australian and the Australian Financial Review remained available at the library.
Premier Roger Cook said he was bemused by the Town’s decision.
“Look, libraries are a place for free information and it’s important that people have the opportunity to go to their library to get the information that they want,” he said.
“I’m not sure it’s a place where we should necessarily be seeking to curtail it.”
The move also drew the ire of local library users including James who said he loved the library but found the town’s decision “a shame” and “a bit churlish”.
Another user said it was a “terrible” violation of freedom of speech.
“It’s a library. It should be a place for the public to go to access information freely.”
One woman said she reads both local papers and believed their removal was “ridiculous”.
“Older people who don’t get them delivered and can’t get out and about a lot rely on the library. I think it’s a damned stupid idea, actually,” she said.
The town had two chief executives resign last year and went without a permanent CEO for seven months until Mr Tuffin was appointed in February.
The town has been embroiled in a series of controversies, including a recent decision to scrap the usual voting method, which sees every household automatically receive a ballot in the mail. The new system instead forces voters to show up to vote or request a postal ballot.
Last year a desk-banging and light-flickering Zoom meeting tantrum from former councillor Rod Bradley — who has since resigned — went viral.
A Department of Local Government inquiry revealed staff claims of a “horrible” workplace where “nobody feels safe”.
The report found the town had failed to ensure adequate “safe and healthy” work conditions.
One staff member told the inquiry, “It’s just a horrible environment. Nobody feels safe in there. Everyone feels as if their job could be taken away from them at any minute”.
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Cambridge councillor hits out at council’s ban of PerthNow local newspapers from library - The West Australian
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