Ed,

The Iluka Woombah Rotary Club runs the monthly Iluka markets. At the January market day, a candidate for the upcoming state election representing the Nationals sought and was granted a stall.

However, during the lead up to the 2022 federal election an independent candidate was refused a stall.

This has been a cause of concern for some that the Iluka Woombah Rotary Club is politically biased. This is not true.

Between the two events the Iluka Woombah Rotary club has adopted a policy advocated by Rotary International regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Previous to this change, no political candidates were eligible for a stall at the Iluka markets – now all candidates registered by the Australian Electoral Office are able to apply for a stall.

The Iluka Woombah Rotary Club sees this change as an opportunity for the community to engage with political aspirants choosing to attend the Iluka markets or become more informed about their intentions should they so wish. 

The Iluka Woombah Rotary Club is and always has been politically neutral and trusts that this policy change better reflects these values.

Anne Lockyer

President

Iluka Woombah Rotary Club