Councillor told to resign after heated backlash to 'First Nations snub' - but he says there's more to the story
A South Australian council has turned on one of its own after a councillor was accused of walking out of Acknowledgement of Country speeches and a smoking ceremony.
Barossa Council last Tuesday voted in favour of a motion that councillor Bruce Preece resign without delay following four separate complaints about his politically incorrect behaviour.
The council brought in law firm Kelledy Jones to investigate the complaints at a cost to ratepayers of $47,000, the ABC reported.
The Kelledy Jones report found Mr Preece had walked out of Acknowledgement of Country speeches on five occasions and also during a smoking ceremony on Australia Day last year.
Another complaint involved him using the homophobic slur 'poofter' in a conversation about AFL player Jeremy Finlayson's suspension.
Barossa Council also ordered Mr Preece to publicly apologise and attend behavioural training, as per the report's recommendations.
Mr Preece said the investigation had been unfair and that he would appeal the matter to the state ombudsman.
'I believe one of the great pillars of Australian society and the way our country is run is that we have the rule of law, we have the principle that people are innocent until proven guilty and that those accused of wrongdoing are given procedural fairness in the ensuing investigations,' he said.
The report found Mr Preece walking out during five Acknowledgment of Country services in 2023 was deliberate and calculated.
A complainant said his actions were 'disruptive and contemptuous as well as disrespectful and discriminatory, on the basis that the Acknowledgement of Country is a public demonstration of respect to the First Nations of Australia and is a longstanding element of council's meeting procedure'.
The report also said he allegedly turned his back on a smoking ceremony at a 2024 Australia Day event being performed by Uncle Quentin Agius.
'For an extended period of time Cr Preece stood 'with his back facing the stage,' the complaint alleged.
The councillor was also alleged to have been heard by some attendees saying 'they shouldn't be allowed to have that smoke, they shouldn't be allowed to do that ... it's so wrong', 'it smells disgusting' and 'people can't breathe because of all that smoke'.
Another complaint alleged Mr Preece had blindsided the council by announcing to the local paper in December 2023 that he would be bringing in a motion to discontinue the Acknowledgements of Country at council events and meetings.
In response to the allegations, Mr Preece's lawyer said he had walked out of the Acknowledgements of Country to either get his reading glasses from his car or go to the bathroom, having recently had a battle with bowel cancer.
He said his client had turned his back on the smoking ceremony to assist an elderly woman who was coughing, and that, regarding the newspaper article, he was not required to 'foreshadow' raising a motion with other councillors.
Regarding the the homophobic slur, Mr Preece's lawyer said he was pursuing a 'stick and stones' type argument, but accepted the pursuit of the debate 'may not have been appropriate to the context and apologies for any offence caused'.
He made the comment ahead of a Gawler River Floodplain Management Authority meeting regarding Port Adelaide AFL player Jeremy Finlayson being suspended for saying the word 'poofter' on the field.
According to the complaint, Mr Preece was 'outraged' the word had caused the suspension and claimed he had been a victim of the same slur on the footy field, adding he was 'sick' of society telling him what was ok to say.
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