Allan Robinson has vowed to re-contest December's local government elections despite parting ways with the Newcastle Independents team on Thursday over his sexist and homophobic slurs about political rivals.
The Independents announced Cr Robinson's departure on Thursday morning, a day after Newcastle council released a report detailing comments that have led to him receiving a string of code-of-conduct censures.
An investigation into Cr Robinson's behaviour found he had called Labor lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes "fatso", described Labor councillor Carol Duncan as a "big chunky woman" and labelled gay Labor deputy lord mayor Declan Clausen "custard".
Councillor John Church, the Independents' lord mayoral candidate in the December local government election, said Cr Robinson would "not be standing for re-election as part of the Newcastle Independents' team".
"I call on all councillors to lift the standard and tone of debate and stay focused on serving ratepayers and their needs," he said.
Cr Robinson said he would contest his Ward 4 councillor seat as an independent but not under the Newcastle Independents banner.
"I don't want them to use me as someone to bag John Church," he said on Thursday. "I'll walk [from the Newcastle Independents].
"John suggested it, as the leader he is. I'll run as a rogue independent on my own. He doesn't deserve to be punished for me. I'm not walking [from the council]. No f---ing way. I love f---ing working on council."
The issue of Cr Robinson's behaviour came to a head in 2019 after he called homosexuals "p--fs" in interviews with the Newcastle Herald and The Guardian and said in a council debate that a female councillor looked like "Jessie the elephant".
"Why should it be offensive?" he reportedly told The Guardian. "If you're a f---ing p--f, you're a p--f."
Cr Robinson used the moniker "custard" for Cr Clausen in the chamber and in media interviews in 2019. He was also the subject of a council investigation in 2015 after referring to a female councillor as "beefcake".
The Newcastle Herald has chosen not to report other offensive comments Cr Robinson has made to reporters and to the investigator in the past two years.
Gay former rugby league star Ian Roberts said in 2019 that Cr Robinson's words were "sickening" given gay suicide rates were far higher than the national average.
The Independents issued a statement at the time saying they "do not endorse hate speech by anyone at anytime", but until now they have stood by their colleague.
Cr Church declined to answer when asked on Thursday why the Independents had not dumped Cr Robinson before the investigation report was made public.
Cr Robinson was forced to make a public apology to Cr Clausen in August last year after Cr Clausen complained to the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board.
On Tuesday night, Labor councillors slammed Cr Robinson for his "homophobic abuse" and "abhorrent sexism and misogyny", calling on the Independents to axe him from their ticket.
The councillors voted in confidential session to release the investigation report, which substantiated all but one of eight alleged code breaches arising from two complaints in 2019.
The report showed Cr Robinson had doubled down on his comments while being interviewed by the investigator.
Asked by the investigator to confirm if he had told the media "I have no problem with poofs ... I'm very good friends with three poofs", he had responded: "I'd rather call them poofs than f--king ... nudgers and s--t shovers."
The Independents and Liberal councillor Brad Luke are understood to have voted against releasing the report.
Cr Robinson told the Newcastle Herald on Wednesday that he would "walk away from being a Newcastle Independents councillor" if his actions were "doing 'em no good". He regretted the comments "if it hurts someone".
"Should it have been said? Probably not, no," he said.
"Would I like someone saying it to my mum? No, I wouldn't."
Labor councillors said on Thursday that Cr Church and Cr Robinson should resign.
"He [Cr Church] has had repeated opportunities in the council chamber, and in public, to call out Cr Robinson's disgusting behaviour," they said in a joint statement.
The Independents have now lost Cr Robinson in Ward 4 and the retiring councillor Andrea Rufo in Ward 3 leading up to a council election in which they hope to end Labor's voting majority in the chamber.
Cr Church said the Independents would name a new Ward 4 candidate soon.
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