<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/jan/24/he-who-must-not-be-named-australian-council-told-not-to-mention-harry-potter-themed-event-in-local-park>
"The entertainment giant Warner Bros stifled democratic debate when it
requested politicians stay silent about a
Harry Potter-themed event it was
planning in a protected conservation park, transparency advocates have claimed.
Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula shire council granted Warner Bros and the
events company Fever permission to hold the interactive night-time event in
late April 2024, but only after councillors signed non-disclosure agreements.
Thousands of local residents remain opposed to the event being held in the
Briars nature reserve, which includes a wildlife sanctuary and is used to nurse
injured animals back to health. Some believe they were kept in the dark and not
consulted.
A council spokesperson said: “The non-disclosure agreement was solely for the
council vote on 22 August and referred to a requirement from Fever and Warner
Bros that councillors not divulge publicly the event being considered was about
Harry Potter.
“There was no requirement for councillors to sign the non-disclosure agreement
in order to vote on whether to host the event and it did not prevent those
councillors who did not sign from having access to the full council report
before voting.”
But David Gill, a longterm councillor, said when he refused to sign the
agreement due to transparency concerns he was asked to leave the room while the
issue was voted on. He said he did not receive a full council report.
“They wanted to deal with the matter straight away,” Gill said.
“I didn’t have enough information to have a reason for or against whatever the
event was going to be. I just don’t agree with the idea of signing an agreement
and not being transparent to the public.”
Warner Bros was contacted but did not say why it believed the non-disclosure
agreement was necessary. Gill also said he was not told why it was necessary."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
