Torquay Broady-side

Alex de Vos
A Melbourne mayor has slammed the president of Surf Coast Shire Community and Ratepayers Association for “disgusting” comments about Broadmeadows residents.
Hume City Council’s Jack Ogilvie challenged Spencer Leighton to visit the suburb to see the real “face of Broadmeadows”.
In last week’s Independent Mr Leighton used a description of Broadmeadows residents to express fears about the impact of a proposed music festival in Torquay during Schoolies Week.
“The only thing we’d be wary about is that it would bring all the other scum in – the people with no teeth and tattoos from Broadmeadows who prey on the schoolies kids,” Mr Leighton said.
Cr Ogilvie labelled Mr Leighton’s comments “insulting” and “pretty disgusting”.
“There are a lot of very nice people in Broadmeadows and to single out one group of people like that is disgusting,” Cr Ogilvie said.
“He should really measure his words before he makes statements like that. It doesn’t matter where you are, there are people with no teeth and tattoos all over the country.”
Cr Ogilvie invited Mr Leighton on a private tour of Broadmeadows.
“I could take him through the state-of-the-art council offices and our new global learning centre,” Cr Ogilvie said.
“The face of Broadmeadows is really changing.”
Cr Ogilvie said he did not consider Mr Leighton’s comments a sign of “snobbery”, just an unfair description of Broadmeadows residents.
Mr Leighton apologised for his comments.
“I think (the mayor) is absolutely right. I shouldn’t have made a remark like that but I just get sick of the idiots,” he said.
“The ones I’m talking about are the predators who come down here and prey on inebriated girls.”
Mr Leighton declined the mayor’s offer to visit Broadmeadows.
“I’ve been to Broadmeadows and I don’t think it’s necessary to go there again – it would be blowing the issue up.”