By BRIDGET SCOTT
CITY of Casey councillors were divided in their opinions over the controversial sport of cage fighting at a meeting on Tuesday.
Some said they would have no issue if it came to the municipality.
Mayfield Ward Councillor Amanda Stapledon moved a motion expressing her views against the sport and encouraged council to ask for a local law to be put in place to prevent it coming to Casey.
However the motion was not unopposed, with Cr Rosalie Crestani dissenting.
Cr Wayne Smith also opposed Cr Stapledon’s motion.
“If we start shutting things like this down it will send them underground,” Cr Crestani said.
“I don’t think we should step into this area.”
However Cr Stapledon said she wanted to prevent cage fighting from coming to the City of Casey in the first place.
In support of her motion, Cr Stapledon read from Hansard where Minister for Local Government Ms Natalie Hutchins told parliament that “councils are sovereign bodies” and they “can introduce their own by-laws if they choose to do so, they have the right to do so.”
In her motion, which was carried, Cr Stapledon asked council to write to the Honourable Natalie Hutchins, MP, Minister for Local Government advising of council’s opposition to cage fighting both within the City of Casey and the State of Victoria.
Council will also seek further clarification on how best to prepare a local law disallowing cage fighting within the municipality.
“I was horrified when I heard it would be permitted,” Cr Stapledon said.
“It’s a barbaric style of fighting and you’re hurting other people.”
“It’s violence in an arena.”
The councillor also asked what happened to those who didn’t make the grade to be cage fighters.
Cr Crestani says “people have a right” to participate in this sport if they like, saying boxing could be just as bad.
Cr Gary Rowe said cage fighting was a violent form of mixed martial arts and was a bad example for the young people in the City of Casey.
After the motion was carried, Cr Crestani called for a division.
