I am really cranky—no, scratch that—I am livid.

Why? Because Kiama Municipal Council has taken it upon themselves to include two of my articles in their report to the Australian Press Council and, as if that wasn’t enough, they’ve demanded that another one be taken down altogether.

Let me give you some context.

On July 9th, 2024, I wrote an article titled “Toxic times as council discredits dissent.” In it, I addressed what I saw as an ongoing campaign by our council to discredit dissenting voices within the community. The Council’s response? They claimed that my article didn’t provide a “fair and balanced representation of the facts” because they weren’t contacted for comment. As if that’s the real issue here.

Then, there’s my July 6th article, “Courage and integrity.” This time, the Council’s beef is that I didn’t reach out to them regarding court costs in a Supreme Court matter involving Cr Renkema-Lang. They conveniently gloss over the fact that this same Council has wasted over hundreds of thousands of dollars of ratepayers’ money trying to silence a dissenting voice—a fact that somehow doesn’t require “balance” in their eyes.

This week, my concerns have been verified in the most frustrating way possible.

Kiama Councillors Jodi Keast, Kathy Rice, and Karen Renkema-Lang are demanding that Kiama Council release a letter from the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), which informs the Council that ICAC will not investigate them. You read that right—the ICAC found no grounds to investigate, yet the Council has kept that under wraps, all while keeping a media release on their website proclaiming that these Councillors had been referred to ICAC. This is nothing short of a strategic move to suppress dissent, using the very systems meant to protect democracy to undermine it.

This situation is a textbook example of what’s known as a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP)—a tactic where those in power use legal threats, or the burden of potential legal costs, to intimidate and silence critics. It’s not about winning the case; it’s about wearing down the opposition until they have no choice but to back down. The fact that our local Council is engaging in this kind of behaviour is not just disappointing—it’s downright infuriating.

SLAPP suits are a plague on democracy. They are used to stifle free speech and quash public discourse, turning the legal system into a weapon against those who dare to speak up. And make no mistake, this isn’t just about me. It’s about every single person in our community who has the courage to stand up and say, “This isn’t right.”

This latest episode, where the ICAC referral was quietly dismissed and yet kept from public knowledge, is just another layer of this toxic cake. Councillors Keast, Rice, and Renkema-Lang have every right to demand transparency, and the Council has every obligation to provide it.

What we’re seeing here is a clear attempt to silence dissenting voices, to suppress the truth, and to manipulate the narrative to maintain control. It’s not just unethical—it’s dangerous. And it’s exactly why we need to keep fighting, keep writing, and keep speaking out. Because if we don’t, if we let them get away with this, we’re handing over the keys to our democracy to those who would rather keep us in the dark.

So, yes, I’m livid. And I won’t be silenced. Not now, not ever.