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SYDNEY - The mayor of a town which refused to accept a group of African refugees for resettlement has been urged to resign, as Canberra offered to take in the families.
James Treloar, the mayor of Tamworth in New South Wales, justified his council's decision to reject the five Sudanese families on the grounds that male members of the group might sexually harass women and fail to find work.
He also said there were fears in the town that the Sudanese could harbour diseases and that accepting them would inflame racial tensions and possibly lead to violence.
"There's a lot of pressure for him to resign but I don't think he will," said Warren Woodley, one of three of nine councillors who voted in favour of the refugee resettlement scheme.
Woodley submitted a motion this week for the decision to reject the Sudanese to be reconsidered at the next council meeting, on January 16.
Churches and community groups are organising petitions to protest against the council's veto.
Thousands of signatures are reported to have been collected.
Meanwhile, the Australian Capital Territory Government has said that it was considering accepting the Sudanese.
Chief Minister Jon Stanhope has written to the federal Immigration Department offering the refugees a home in Canberra.
