A Ballina councillor will push for tighter rules around political activity at council community events after a successful volunteer expo became the subject of controversy over its political portrayal.

Cr Michelle Bailey says clearer guidelines should be considered after Greens candidate Mandy Nolan and NSW Greens MP Mark Shoebridge attended Ballina Shire Council’s recent Community Connections Expo.

But while Cr Bailey initially accused the Greens of “political opportunism” in a strongly worded Facebook post, she has since made clear her biggest concern is how the council-run event was portrayed by the Ballina Times.

The newspaper coverage gave prominent attention to Ms Nolan and Mr Shoebridge, including Ms Nolan introducing the visiting Greens MP to what she described as “the beating heart of the region”.

That frustrated Cr Bailey, who said the political focus overshadowed the people who had actually organised the event and the remarkable results it achieved – including more than 70 prospective new volunteers.

“It’s disheartening to see Ballina Times turned our successful Community Connections expo … into a platform for political opportunism,” she wrote publicly after the story appeared.

“Instead of focusing on the genuine needs of our Shire, the Greens seem more interested in leveraging this occasion for their gain.”

Cr Bailey believes council should now consider clearer rules to protect events specifically established to support community organisations from becoming perceived as political platforms.

She is particularly concerned that perceptions of party politics could discourage people from participating.

Political precedent

Cr Bailey said an earlier Community Connections Expo coincided with a federal election campaign, when political representatives were told they could attend but could not campaign or distribute material.

She said Nationals representatives were asked to leave after arriving wearing party-branded clothing.

This year, organisers had not issued the same explicit warning because they had not anticipated political activity becoming an issue.

The story Bailey says was missed

Around 40 organisations participated in this year’s expo, the third organised by councillors and the first expanded from its original B Ward format to cover the entire Ballina Shire.

Feedback gathered from the organisations showed more than 70 people registered an interest in volunteering on the day, with further prospective volunteers coming forward afterwards.

More than 550 meaningful conversations between residents and participating organisations were also recorded.

The expo originated partly from concern about community organisations struggling to attract volunteers, including the loss of the Lennox Head CWA.

“Achievements were the real story”- Cr Michelle Bailey

Main Photo: Greens candidate for Balllina Mandy Nolan with Greens Senator David Shoebridge and supporters at the Lennox Community Expo (image: Facebook/Leslie Beardmore)

Cr Bailey said attracting younger volunteers was becoming particularly important as many organisations increasingly relied on an ageing membership.

She and fellow councillor Kiri Dicker have since met council staff to discuss continuing the expo beyond the current council term and increasing participation among people aged 16 to 35.

Some organisations which missed this year’s event have already contacted organisers wanting to participate next time.

“For me, support is not just recognising their importance or dropping in for a conversation,” Cr Bailey said.

“It’s about creating practical opportunities for those organisations to attract new volunteers, recruit members and raise awareness of the services they provide.

“That’s exactly what the Expo was designed to do.”

And despite her initial criticism of the Greens, Cr Bailey said she had no desire to engage in a political fight over the event.

Her frustration remained that politics – whether injected by those attending or through the subsequent media coverage – had overshadowed its achievements.

“The success of the Expo should be measured by the connections made, the volunteers recruited and the support generated for local organisations,” she said.

“For me, those achievements were the real story.”