Burnie councillor suspended 28 days for anti-Pride posts
Burnie's Trent Aitken got a 28-day suspension. It was for social media posts claiming surf clubs' Pride Day support caused harm.
Cr Aitken will lose his seat the day after October 27, when the code of conduct ruling is presented. Trent Aitken's posts said young surf lifesavers faced risk of harm from Pride efforts.
The panel found the claims were not backed up. The panel said the posts were offensive to the clubs and LGBTQ+ community.
Trent Aitken must also take social media training within three months after his suspension ends. This is Aitken's second punishment in weeks.
He finished a two-week ban for racist and homophobic comments just days before making the surf club posts. The Justice Department shared the ruling with media on October 2.
This gives voters weeks to learn about his conduct before the October 27 election.
- 28 days
- Suspension length
- Day after October 27
- Suspension start date
- 2 weeks, just finished
- Previous suspension
- Burnie and Boat Harbour lifesaving clubs
- Clubs targeted
Why it mattersVoters need to know about this councillor's conduct record and the consequences. They should consider it before voting on October 27 in Burnie.
AustraliaA Burnie councillor faces a 28-day suspension ahead of Tasmania's local council election, raising questions about community standards on social media.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
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