Residents ‘in tears’ after councillor launches furious spray attacking Indigenous land owners in Australia

By ZAK WHEELER and PADRAIG COLLINS FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 06:48 BST, 12 April 2025 | Updated: 06:50 BST, 12 April 2025

A councillor has caused attendees of an meeting to cry following a vile outburst against Indigenous land owners in Australia. 

The incident took place on Friday during a meeting hosted by the Clarence Valley Council which concerned the eviction of 136 caravan owners in northern New South Wales.

The occupants’ long-term (casual occupation) agreements had been terminated before the motion was paused for 12 months while councillors worked out a plan of management for the sites. 

During the meeting, NSW councillor Debrah Novak interjected about Indigenous land owners and their opinions of the site. She referred to First Nations people as ‘flame throwers’ and ‘boomerangs’ in her remarks. 

‘If there was a problem with what was going on I can guarantee you we would have every boomerang and every flame thrower in the Clarence Valley going to NCAT court,’ she said.

An anonymous councillor at the meeting said they were appalled by the comments and claimed multiple attendees were left in tears by the outburst.

‘There were people, including a little girl, crying, they walked out, they were so insulted and disgusted. It’s not on,’ the councillor said. 

Local Simon Chase also derided the councillors’ comments. 

NSW councillor Debrah Novak has caused a controversy after calling Indigenous people ‘flame throwers’ and ‘boomerangs’ during a meeting on Friday

The meeting concerned the eviction of 136 people who lived in caravans in Brooms Head, Iluka, Minnie Water and Wooli caravan parks in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales

He told the Daily Telegraph that her ‘inappropriate’ remarks were highly offensive.

Prior to the eviction notice being delayed, tenants at the caravan park were facing an expulsion from their living arrangements on June 30.

Clarence Valley Council had issued notices to residents at the caravan park that it would be terminating occupational agreements.

In explaining the move, the council said ‘holders are permitted to use the site for up to 180 days per year’ but they were never intended to be permanent homes.

The council’s general manager Laura Black said there was a growing demand from visitors for access to the sites and they wanted to free up spaces for tourists. 

The council said ‘casual holiday vans are not primary places of residence’.

Ms Black said the council had been forced to make changes as the demand from visitors for tourist sites had grown significantly over the past decade.

‘These sites are on public land and it’s important that all visitors to the holiday parks have the same opportunity to use these sites when holidaying with their families and friends,’ she said. 

The evictions have been paused for 12 months and the meeting was set to discuss a management plan of the lands the people had been living on 

‘We’ve been able to accommodate casual agreements for some time but with greater demand, we have made the decision to return these sites for all to use.

‘We are not evicting residents, these are casual agreements and cannot be used as a permanent residence. All users are required to have a primary place of residence elsewhere offsite.’   

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Novak for comment.

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Residents ‘in tears’ after councillor launches furious spray attacking Indigenous land owners in Australia

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