Kempsey councillor Noel Selby is refusing to resign despite his colleagues voting for him to leave his position over his ‘bash you’ comments to a woman.
The Kempsey Shire Council also ordered him to enter a men’s behavioural-change program.
The decision followed widespread outrage over Selby telling a woman it was a “pity he hadn’t bashed you” on social media.
Selby continues to claim his Facebook account was hacked, writing on Facebook: “I stand by my original statement that my FB page was hacked. I am against all acts of domestic violence.”
He also claims he is a good bloke because he ‘never abused any woman in my 75 years’ and he worked with the Country Women’s Association and Rotary.
An independent investigator found his Facebook was not hacked and he wrote the words.
Selby will be referred to the Office of Local Government for resolution.
“Ultimately, council decided to not only censure him but also request that he resign and that we recommend he engage in a men’s behavioural-change program,” Kempsey Mayor Kinne Ring told the ABC.
“We could have just censured him, but we don’t think that really matched the severity of what Cr Selby had done and we really considered this a serious matter.”
Resident Noe has started a petition to get Selby kicked off the council, urging locals to sign the petition to stand with other women in “demanding accountability and fostering a safer, more respectful society.”
“Women shouldn’t have to put up with these types of comments and we are paying for him to stay on council,” Noe says.
“Domestic violence in Kempsey is significantly higher than state average and an elected official making light of violence against women and staying in office anyway tells women and victim-survivors that their safety doesn’t matter much.”
‘BASH YOU’ COUNSELLOR NOEL SELBY REFUSES TO RESIGN
