Councillors scrap controversial civic reception for Julian Assange

A proposal for a civic reception at Melbourne Town Hall to celebrate the release of WikiLeaks founder and former Carlton resident Julian Assange has been quashed.

Ahead of the July 9 Future Melbourne Committee meeting, Cr Dr Olivia Ball had put forward a motion calling on the City of Melbourne to invite the now-free whistle-blower and his family to Melbourne for a civic reception. 

“The long-awaited release of Julian Assange is a great occasion for Melbourne to celebrate the homecoming of one of its citizens, while reaffirming Melbourne’s commitment to human rights, not just in defence of freedom of the press, but in defence of whistle-blowers who take huge personal risks to expose the truth about serious wrongdoing,” Cr Dr Ball’s motion read. 

But CBD News understands the Greens councillor scrapped the civic reception after a majority of councillors made it clear they wouldn’t support unless it was removed from the motion, which was amended to simply celebrate Mr Assange’s freedom.  

“It is a mere repetition of our previous motions but on the other side of that momentous event [his release],” Cr Dr Ball said.

“It also recognises his extraordinary courage in acting in defence of his dearly held principles and in defence of all human rights at an immense personal cost.” 

The amended motion was ultimately carried with five councillors, including Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece, Cr Jamal Hakim, Cr Rohan Leppert and Cr Kevin Louey, all voting in favour.

However, Cr Davydd Griffiths and Cr Phil Le Liu abstained from voting for the motion, while Cr Roshena Campbell voted against it.  

Speaking in support of the amended motion, Cr Jamal Hakim said it was important for the City of Melbourne to express its support for the ability of all journalists and whistle-blowers to “hold power to account” without fear of persecution. 

Cr Griffiths said that he was “happy to support” the motions that the council had previously moved, as well as the latest one on July 7, until he heard Cr Dr Ball’s comments on the sexual assault allegations that had been made against Mr Assange. 

The former Carlton resident and University of Melbourne student had been accused of sexual assault in Sweden in 2010, but prosecutors dropped their investigation into those allegations in 2019.

Cr Dr Ball said the allegations, “were clearly an effort by the state, by Sweden and/or the US and the UK, to smear the reputation of someone they found highly inconvenient.” 

But Cr Griffiths said, “If we accept the mover’s proposition that all of those allegations are purely disinformation, then we are saying we do not believe the woman who has made those allegations.” 

“As recently as yesterday, there was a BBC article where one of the people who had made those allegations said that she felt that she hadn’t had justice achieved out of the processes that have occurred so far,” Cr Griffiths said. 

“We are put through the mover’s words into a position where we are effectively having to judge whether we believe or whether we don’t believe the person who has made those allegations.”

“I find it impossible sitting on the other side of the world some nine years later to come to a position where I can either endorse that person’s statement. It’s a tricky position for us to be in.” 

Cr Roshena Campbell said she also struggled to come to terms with this proposition, and that the City of Melbourne is not able to decide Assange’s guilt, innocence or matters of sexual assault. 

“I do acknowledge his release is long overdue, but I cannot bring myself to laud his courage in circumstances where he has pled guilty to a crime,” she said. 

Cr Griffiths also drew attention to the initial proposal’s failure to respect Mr Assange’s request to have time outside the public eye. 

In a press conference following his arrival in Australia on June 26, Mr Assange’s wife, Stella, said her husband needed time to recover and to get used to freedom. 

“I want Julian to have that space to rediscover freedom,” Ms Assange said. 

The call for a civic reception was one that Cr Griffiths felt was the “antithesis of that private time”, and other community members expressed their concerns with the initial proposal. 

Small Business Australia executive director Bill Lang said he believed it was “inappropriate” to be having a formal welcome event and that there are “more pressing” needs in the local community that should be addressed.