Greens Councillor Kit Docker believes Wollongong should do more to show its support for the people of Gaza. So much so, he has proposed that Council should fly the Palestinian flag outside the council chambers.
The issue is likely to be hotly debated when Council next meets on Monday night.
“There are many, many people in Wollongong who support the Palestinian people and so I’ve suggested we show our support,” Kit said.
The Illawarra Flame reported earlier this month how hundreds of Wollongong residents – including trade union leader Arthur Rorris and Cunningham MP Alison Byrnes – joined tens of thousands who marched over the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge in a show of solidarity for the people of Gaza.
Cr Docker wasn’t at the Sydney march but said he’d attended many local rallies organised by the Wollongong Friends of Palestine group.
He’s hoping he’ll have the support of other councillors when he moves his Notice of Motion next week.
Flying the flag sends 'appropriate' message of support
Council has flown other national flags to mark special days of significance and the rainbow flag in support of marriage equality.
“I think flying the Palestinian flag on the day Australia formally recognises Palestine would be most appropriate,” Cr Docker said.
His Notice of Motion – under the headline "Commemorating the loss of human life in Palestine and reaffirming our city’s commitment to human rights" – calls on Council to “mourn the devastating loss of over 60,000 Palestinian lives in Gaza since October 2023, including tens of thousands of women and children, humanitarian aid workers and journalists in the current war on Gaza and unequivocally condemns the targeting of civilians by all parties”.
He also wants Council to show its support for the Australian Government’s decision to formally recognise Palestine and ongoing calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza “to end the ongoing humanitarian crisis, prevent further loss of life and allow the urgent delivery of aid and support to affected civilians”.
Cr Docker wants Council to reaffirm its commitment to human rights and the local Palestine community as a member of the ‘Mayors for Peace’ initiative, a declared ‘Refugee Welcome Zone’ and the ‘Welcoming Cities Network’.
Citizen of the Year supports the motion
Offering her support for the motion is the 2025 Wollongong Citizen of the Year, Malika Reese congratulated Cr Docker on putting the motion forward. She encouraged all other councillors to support it.
"As a mother of children, I cannot, and we should not, stand silently while so many innocent children are being killed and maimed in this ongoing violence," Malika said.
"I'm pro-Palestine, pro-peace, anti-fascism, anti-war, pro-humanity and anti-hate."
Malika also gave a plug for next Thursday night's Music4Medicine fundraising concert for Médecins Sans Frontières, which she will be hosting at the Wollongong Town Hall.
All money raised will support the work of Doctors Without Borders, who are doing amazing humanitarian work in Gaza, and who a previous Wollongong Citizen of the Year, Sally Stevenson, worked for in the war-torn country late last year.
