A city councillor has been slammed for exposing his chest during an important meeting held over video call.
Allan Robinson, 54, was called out by Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes halfway through the meeting when she realised he wasn’t wearing a shirt.
‘Councillor Robinson, can I just call you to order, you cannot be unclothed on a council meeting,’ she said during the Zoom call on Tuesday night.
Allan Robinson, 54, (pictured) was called out by Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes halfway through the meeting when she realised he wasn’t wearing a shirt
‘Councillor Robinson, can I just call you to order, you cannot be unclothed on a council meeting,’ Newcastle Mayor Nuatali Nelmes (pictured) asked halfway through the call
‘It’s not OK. It brings council into disrepute and I just don’t want to deal with it.
‘Please don’t do it.’
Cr Robinson replied to the Mayor’s request, but his message was inaudible.
It is understood that initially only Ms Nelmes’ and council members could see the councillor’s half-naked appearance, news.com.au reported.
However, when Cr Robinson replied he did appear shirtless on the public broadcast.
After the councillor clothed himself Mayor Nelmes swiftly moved on to the next agenda item in the meeting of the development applications committee.
It is not the first time Cr Robinson, a champion jockey and former NRL Footy Show favourite, has caused a stir during a Newcastle Council video call.
The councillor (top, middle) was heard telling colleagues his wife Michelle had cooked him ‘some beautiful salmon’ during a meeting in August, before adding ‘you little beauty’
The councillor (top, middle) was then informed by a visibly embarrassed council chief executive Jeremy Bath (bottom, right) that the Zoom meeting was not a private affair
The councillor was heard telling colleagues his wife Michelle had cooked him ‘some beautiful salmon’ during a meeting in August, before adding ‘you little beauty’.
What Cr Robinson didn’t realise was his jovial antics were being live-streamed to hundreds of confused voters.
The councillor was informed by a visibly embarrassed council chief executive Jeremy Bath that the Zoom meeting was not a private affair.
However the veteran rider wasn’t fussed, jokingly declaring to the audience and fellow councillors he ‘didn’t marry his wife for her looks, it was for her cooking’.
When another councillor then interjected, a blunt Cr Robinson said it would be best to ‘stop b***hing and get on with it’.
Cr Robinson (pictured with wife Michelle) was heard declaring to hundreds of voters in a video call in August he ‘didn’t marry his wife for her looks, it was for her cooking’
Cr Robinson (pictured) rode professionally for over 40 years after starting out with master Newcastle trainer Paul Perry as a 14-year-old
Mr Robinson rode as a professional jockey for over 40 years after starting out with master Newcastle trainer Paul Perry as a 14-year-old.
In 1998, at the peak of his powers, Cr Robinson showed his class in the saddle, riding the most winners in a single season by any jockey in Australia.
He has ridden in a record 2118 races, earning a reputation as a legend in horse racing circles, but has also been at the centre of plenty of controversy.
Affectionally known as Robbo, he was suspended more than 100 times – a world record – and took on countless race stewards in on-track disagreements resulting in negative headlines for the sport of kings.
The veteran jockey began a career local politics as an Independent in the Hunter region, north of Sydney, in 2012.
He was recently abandoned by his party after a series of offensive remarks he made were revealed in a report into code of conduct breaches, released in July.
The controversial councillor labelled the Newcastle lord mayor a ‘fatso’, said another councillor was a ‘big chunky woman’, and called an openly gay councillor ‘custard’.
The veteran jockey (pictured with his wife Michelle) began a career local politics as an Independent in the Hunter region, north of Sydney, in 2012
When questioned why he called the lord mayor ‘fatso’ in an email to a ratepayer, he said he ‘doesn’t think highly of her’ and wondered ‘how much it costs council to have the makeup done every time you see her on TV’.
He also went onto say Cr Carol Duncan was a ‘big chunky woman’ with ‘legs like Blocker Roach’ and was a ‘f**king unit’.
The report concluded Cr Robinson’s behaviour caused, comprised or involved intimidation or verbal abuse and constituted harassment or bullying behaviour.
He has since been dropped from the Independents’ ticket ahead of the next election in Newcastle – and many believe the councillor’s time is ticking in Steel City.
Cr Robinson has indicated he will run as a ‘rogue independent’ in spite of this.