Media Release
Thursday January 29th 2026
 
HOBART COUNCIL LGBTIQA+ PLAN WELCOMED
SUPPORT FOR SUSPENSION OF ANTI-TRANS BURNIE COUNCILLOR
 
Equality Tasmania has commended the Hobart City Council’s adoption of a new inclusion plan that contains important LGBTIQA actions. 
 
The "Hobart: A City for All Action Plan”, passed at Tuesday Night's council meeting, is the overarching document for the Council's commitment to community inclusion and equity. Actions in the plan seek to address issues faced by groups including people with disabilities, multicultural communities and the LGBTIQA+ community.
 
Equality Tasmania Board Member and Chair of City of Hobart's LGBTIQA+ Reference Group, Trenton Hoare, congratulated the Council's efforts in ensuring the development of the Action Plan was led by community members.
 
"It is encouraging to see Council adopt this Action Plan. This enables the Council to continue its work in creating an equitable and inclusive city for all”, Mx. Hoare said.
 
"We are sincerely thankful to Council staff for the extensive work carried out behind the scenes, and for the thoughtful and respectful engagement with our community throughout this process."
 
The plan commits the Council to
  • working alongside the LGBTIQA+ community to celebrate its history, diversity, and lived experiences
  • creating opportunities for LGBTIQA+ artists to share their work through public art
  • recognising and celebrating important local, national, and international LGBTIQA+ days together with the community
  • identifying and removing barriers that prevent LGBTIQA+ people from fully participating in community life, including accessing public spaces and Council venues
 
Equality Tasmania has also supported the 14-day suspension of Burnie City Councillor, Trent Aitken, after he publicly made transphobic and racist remarks. 
 
Equality Tasmania spokesperson Rodney Croome, said,
 
“Local government leaders have a right to speak out on important issues, but also a responsibility not to abuse that right by sowing division and discrimination.”
 
“Cr Aitken’s suspension shows there are consequences when local government leaders attack the diverse communities they are meant to represent." 
 
The statements in question include demonising non-binary star of Queer Eye, Jonathon van Ness, for wearing a dress to the Golden Globes awards, calling trans-women men, claiming that kids were being "brain washed with trans rubbish", and asserting that the councillor was "being victimised by a group of people who are completely delusional."
 
A Code of Conduct complaint against Cr Aitken was submitted to the council on June 3rd 2025 and a determination was made on December 3rd 2025. The report was tabled at Burnie City Council's meeting on Tuesday evening, the following day marking the beginning of the Councillor's suspension period. 
 
Last year, Burnie City Council established an LGBTIQA+ community Advisory Group which will develop an LGBTIQA+ Action Plan for the city.
 
For the HCC plan, click here
For a copy of this statement on the web, click here
For more information contact Trenton Hoare on 0427 886 450 or Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668.
 
 
 
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