Cook Park aviary rescission bid fails in 7-4 council vote

Orange City Council has rejected a bid to overturn its 18 August resolution on the Cook Park Aviary, with the rescission motion lost 7-4 on 1 September.

Cr K Duffy and Cr G Judge moved the motion. It was supported by Cr Greenhalgh, Cr Duffy, Cr Judge and Cr Peterson.

Mayor T Mileto, Cr Kinghorne, Cr Mallard, Cr McDonell, Cr Power, Cr Ruddy and Cr Stedman voted against it. Cr Whitton was absent.

The vote leaves the earlier aviary consultation and review resolution unchanged.

Councillors questioned when larger birds would be rehomed. The chief executive officer said that would not happen immediately because Council needed to determine whether the birds would be placed somewhere they would be properly cared for.

Cr Duffy asked whether staff had spoken with the community about rehoming the larger birds. The chief executive officer said they had not, but said he was aware of a community member who had previously homed one of the aviary’s cockatoos.

The discussion also covered staff training and whether a recommendation for training suggested the birds had received inadequate care. The chief executive officer said all staff receive training every year and there is always room for improvement. He said the recommendation did not mean staff had been doing the wrong thing.

Cr Greenhalgh asked whether the matter could return to Council before three months had passed. The manager corporate governance advised that a Notice of Motion to Alter a Resolution could be submitted, but three councillors would need to support it if less than three months had elapsed since the earlier resolution was passed or lost.

The aviary’s future, the rehoming of larger birds, community involvement and animal-care arrangements remain matters for residents to follow as the review process continues.