Alex Crackett says she has received overwhelming support from women and men after speaking out about her experience in her seven years in local government. Photo / Supplied via Otago Daily Times
Alex Crackett says she has received overwhelming support from women and men after speaking out about her experience in her seven years in local government. Photo / Supplied via Otago Daily Times
Amid allegations of sexism at the Invercargill City Council, a sitting councillor says women receiving comments about their looks is “just part of life”.
It comes as a former councillor has joined Alex Crackett in saying she felt she was treated differently because of her sex.
Crackett this week said she had experienced inappropriate behaviour in the form of jokes since being elected as a councillor in 2016, including being referred to as “Twin Peaks”.
The revelation came after it emerged councillor Nigel Skelt was the subject of a sexual harassment complaint from an 18-year-old female staff member before his departure as manager of ILT Stadium Southland.
When asked whether there was a problem with sexism at the council, councillor Peter Kett, who has called for Skelt to resign, said he believed there was not.
“If you’ve got a nice body, people will comment about it and I suppose if you were the other way, they’d still comment about you.”
He said such comments had been around since his primary school days, and recalled other pupils referring to a teacher as “Molly Milkshakes”.
Invercargill City councillor Nigel Skelt. Photo / Supplied via Otago Daily Times
He said the council chambers were an inclusive space where female councillors were treated with the same respect as the males.
Crackett said yesterday she received overwhelming support from women and men after speaking out about her experience in her seven years in local government.
She said there were also occasions when she was introduced by a male councillor as his “lovely secretary”.
“That has a really profound effect on the young woman’s psyche.”
However, she believed things had improved on the current council.
Former councillor Rebecca Amundsen said her experience was different in each term, but when she first got into the council - that was before Crackett was elected in 2015 - she felt undermined because of her age and sex.
“I didn’t experience any of the things Alex experienced, but I saw a lot of what she was subjected to.
Invercargill City councillor Rebecca Amundsen. Photo / Supplied via Otago Daily Times
“I very clearly remember a councillor - you know, who is her equal - introduce her in a public meeting as his ‘lovely assistant’. I remember looking around the room of lots of young to middle-aged women and looking at their faces.”
She said it was clear Crackett was uncomfortable and they had addressed the issue with the person, who they declined to identify yesterday.
“We made it clear that kind of behaviour wasn’t appropriate - and actually had to explain why it seemed a little bit weird ... but we actually explained why doing that was wrong and embarrassing for Alex.”
First-term councillor Ria Bond yesterday said she would never work with Skelt again and would resign if he decided to return to the council table.
“I put my line in the sand. I will not work with Nigel Skelt. I will resign from the council.
Invercargill city councillor Ria Bond. Photo / Supplied via Otago Daily Times
“Because what does that tell our members of the public? They are the ones we have to be accountable to.”
Darren Ludlow said he was not aware of sexist remarks being made to Crackett prior to reading about it in the Otago Daily Times, though any sexist remarks were unacceptable.
Deputy mayor Tom Campbell, elected into his first term in October last year, said he had never witnessed sexist remarks made in council chambers, but added Crackett raised the issue during a council meeting on Monday.
Councillor Grant Dermody said the remark made to Crackett was clearly not appropriate, although he had not witnessed any sexist comments being made.
