Council Proceeds with $45,000 Rainbow Crossings Despite Concerns about Lack of Consultation

The progressive council of Merri-bek north of Melbourne’s CBD has doubled down on its plan for two rainbow crossings—in support of LGBTs—at a cost of $45,000 to ratepayers.

The decision to spend the money was made solely by the council, with the public only invited to select the location of the two crossings.

Independent Councillor Oscar Yildiz was the only member of Merri-bek City Council who voted against the decision.

“If we truly want to support the LGBTQIA+ community, we should be advocating for real, ongoing investment in mental health, youth outreach, housing security and education initiatives,” he told the council on April 19, adding that projects of such scale should also be left to state and federal governments with bigger budgets and better infrastructure.

“Many residents are doing it tough, facing rising living costs.

“They want to see their money going into services such as roads, parks, safety. Not painting on a road.”

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Yildiz said if the council wanted to meaningfully support the LGBT community, it should do so by advocating for the upper tiers of government to step up.

Questions Over Public Consultation Process

Peter Jeffs queried why the decision was made without public consultation.

“The motion proposing the painting of LGBTQIA+ flags in two places in Merri-bek was simply an idea of one councillor [Brunswick West Ward Councillor Ella Svensson], put to this meeting on February 12, 2025, and it never went out for community consultation,” Jeffs told the meeting.

“The officer’s report tonight for consideration … recommends the proposal goes out for community engagement via various forums so that the community can vote on their preferred sites.

“As there is no mention in the recommendation to allow the community to vote against the proposal will council now include this as an option in the consultation?”

Anita Curnow, director of City Infrastructure for Merri-bek Council, replied that the time for public consultation had passed.

“This is a matter for council to determine,” she said.

“The resolution from Feb. 2025 includes a number of points and one of those points is that council seeks a report by April 2025 that identifies suitable locations on council roads or footpaths with the aim of installing this design on two roads or footpaths and recommends an approach to community engagement to select the sites and final designs.

“If the council adopts the recommendations tonight, the engagement will not be seeking feedback as to whether the community support the proposal, just the preferred location of the treatments.”

Mental health researcher Dr. Lara Corr also addressed the meeting, becoming emotional and fighting back tears as she spoke about why she believed the crossing were important.

“The first time I went into a workplace with rainbow flags around the office, my whole body relaxed,” she said.

Council Says Its About Celebrating Diversity

In a statement, Merri-bek Council said the plan for the crossings was a step towards celebrating the LGBT communities.

“These installations aim to send a powerful statement of belonging and celebrate the vital role that our LGBTIQA+ communities play in contributing to the vibrancy of Merri-bek,” the council said in the statement provided to The Epoch Times.

The council is set to consult with the community on possible locations, which include the CB Smith Reserve, outside Coburg Library, Glenroy Community Hub, the Waterloo Road and Snell Grove intersection at Oak Park, Brunswick Town Hall, West St in Brunswick, Howarth St in Brunswick or Piera St in Brunswick East.

The Council also said rainbow and pride flags had been incorporated into infrastructure in many cities around the world and in Australia.

Getting a Grip

The council will use Omnigrip to create the colored crossings, amid concerns one other option on the list could cause traffic to skid.

OmniGrip Direct is a Melbourne company that uses special paint made with crushed recycled glass aggregated with a resin binder.

The company specializes in creating pride flag walkways.

Omnigrip was chosen, according to council minutes, because paint, which is much cheaper, would have a shorter life and thermoplastic at such a scale would create skid and therefore safety risk. Omnigrip has a lifespan of five to 10 years.

Other rainbow crossings include the City of Greater Geelong’s Yarra Street progressive pride flag crossing and the City of Port Phillip’s Jackson Street rainbow road.