Several Newcastle councillors have expressed dismay after two Labor councillors missed the start of the last council meeting to attend an internal party gathering.
The Newcastle Herald reported on July 27 deputy lord mayor Declan Clausen and fellow Labor councillor Elizabeth Adamczyk attended the annual general meeting of Labor's Wallsend State Electorate Council on July 25. They later arrived in the council chamber about two hours into proceedings.
Liberal councillor Callum Pull described the move as "questionable".
"The decision by councillors Adamczyk and Clausen to skip a council meeting - a meeting the ratepayers of Newcastle pay them to attend - seems completely inappropriate," he said.
"These Labor party councillors should seriously think about the importance of the roles they've been elected to in light of this affair."
Liberal councillor Katrina Wark said the two councillors "decided that a Labor branch meeting was far more important" than the council meeting.
Independent councillor John Church said: "the community should have an expectation that the man appointed deputy lord mayor would prioritise an important council meeting over pursuing his own personal political ambitions."
Cr Clausen requested the Wallsend Labor SEC meeting be moved to another night to avoid clashing with the council meeting, noting the meetings were usually held on Thursdays. His request said it was "surprising and concerning" the event was scheduled for a Tuesday.
The two Labor councillors were not in the chamber for the development applications committee meeting, which began at 6.07pm and assessed one item before ending at 7.29pm.
Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Cr Clausen and Cr Adamczyk had requested to appear via audio visual link, however they were not visible on screen or heard from in the meeting and their votes were not recorded in the chamber.
Cr Nelmes said there were no apologies or any leave of absence.
The ordinary council meeting began at 7.30pm and when Cr Nelmes said Cr Clausen and Cr Adamczyk had requested to appear via audio visual link again, Cr Pull declared a point of order asking why the two councillors could not appear in person.
"They have both said that this afternoon they had to attend another meeting," Cr Nelmes said.
Cr Pull said he understood that was a Labor party meeting, "which some councillors may consider an inappropriate reason to be missing a council meeting".
Cr Church then pointed out the two councillors did not appear on screen like usual during the development applications committee meeting.
"So I doubt whether they were even in attendance during the DAC," he said.
"It's very likely you are correct," Cr Nelmes said.
"I'm expecting that they would be joining online but I don't have any further information."
The Labor annual general meeting ran until 7.50pm.
After the first motion, Cr Nelmes then said she had been told the councillors were online but "we're not seeing them".
Cr Adamczyk and Cr Clausen then appeared audibly but not visually. Cr Adamczyk said she had "no video capacity" and Cr Clausen said he was the same.
They both arrived into the chamber about 8pm during the second lord mayoral minute and stayed for the duration.
Cr Clausen and Cr Adamczyk provided similar statements to the Herald, both saying they were "pleased to be able to attend both meetings on the night", and fulfil "council and community obligations".
"I continue to have the equal highest attendance rate for any councillor," both said.
The councillors said they fully adhered to their obligations under the code of meeting practice, including providing council staff with advanced notice they would be late and initially joining via audiovisual means.
A City of Newcastle spokesperson said the two councillors were granted leave to attend both council meetings via the audio-visual link.
"Both councillors were not present for the extraordinary development applications committee meeting and the minutes will record their absence," the spokesperson said.
"Both councillors joined the ordinary council meeting via audio-visual link and then arrived in person in the chamber. The minutes will record their time of arrival on the audio-visual link and then in person."
