After a year in his role, a Brisbane City Councillor has called out the behaviour of his peers and superiors as childish and unproductive.
Greens councillor Jonathan Sri (The Gabba) spoke at Tuesday's council meeting about conduct in the council chambers at City Hall.
"My decision to speak about this matter in the public chamber is made with some reluctance," Cr Sri said.
"I have noticed that increasingly in council chambers that members from all sides of the chambers have become more vitriolic and partisan in their discourse and their attacks.
"I consider it to be quite childish and immature. I consider it to be unproductive and I don't think it facilitates positive discussion or ensures we make good decision as a council."
Cr Sri was sworn in as the city's first Greens councillor in April, 2016, after being elected in March.
He said after his first year representing The Gabba ward, he was left surprised and disappointed at how the adversarial culture was in the chamber.
"I just wish everyone would be a bit more respectful," he said.
"It definitely makes me question the effectiveness of that form of governance.
"The core of the problem is when power is heavily centralised in the hands of a few people it tends to corrupt and people get arrogant and stop working cooperatively.
"The best solution is to decentralise that power rather than a few chairs and a few senior cabinet members holding all the power we need to share it around a bit more."
The council chamber comprises 19 Liberal National councillors, five Labor councillors, one Greens councillor and one independent.
Council chairman Angela Owen said the council chamber was a forum appropriate for robust political debate.
"One universal aspect of this role is that at one time or another, all chairmen of council have experienced commentary on behaviour and rulings in council meetings," Cr Owen said.
"In my experience, people will always have a broad range of views on these matters."
Opposition Leader Peter Cumming said the Labor Party also had concerns about the adversarial nature of the council chambers.
"We have concerns with the LNP using their massive majority in the chamber to stifle debate and limit scrutiny of their decisions," Cr Cumming said.
"The Establishment and Coordination Committee operates under a veil of secrecy and has no opposition councillors on the committee.
"This committee awards all the contracts council enters into, with no opportunity for debate or scrutiny.
"Time and again, the LNP uses their massive majority to make decisions in secret, avoid any scrutiny, and ram through changes with no debate."
Cr Sri said he was concerned about discussions in the chamber being cut short and decisions being rushed through.
"I was particularly concerned last week by a decision to cut short discussion during general business without allowing councillors to raise matters that they flagged they wanted to talk about during general business," he said.
"This isn't the first time this has happened and it's almost got to the point now where councillors feel like they have to leap to their feet really quickly and wave their arms in order to get noticed.
"Unless you're super quick and in a split second you rise to your feet or speak up the chair will say, you're too late, you've missed out. I think that's problematic, I don't think that promotes constructive discourse.
"I think all of us here can do better and should work to improve the way we conduct ourselves in this chamber."
After Cr Sri spoke about his concerns, Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner was quick to request that he withdraw his comments on the basis they were inappropriate and could cause adverse reflections on the chairing of council meetings.
Cr Owen said: "Cr Sri, comments you have made in respect of things being unfair and biased in this place are not substantive and I ask you to withdraw."
Cr Sri said it was his strong opinion that the chairing of the meetings had been partisan and inconsistent and he would not withdraw.
Cr Owen: "Well Cr Sri, I don't uphold your statement, certainly my chairing is not biased and I don't believe that if you want to actually rise and talk about respect in this place then there is a lot of consideration that certain people need to give to that as well."
When Fairfax Media asked Cr Sri if conduct within the chamber would make him turn his back on his role within council, he said although he was often disappointed he was not ready to back down yet.
"I genuinely find it frustrating sometimes but at this stage ill keep fighting," he said.
Independent councillor Nicole Johnston (Tennyson) said Cr Owen's chairing of council meetings made "Bronwyn Bishop look good".
"To allow the Lord Mayor to flat out call another councillor racist is the latest clear breach of the rules she has ignored," Cr Johnston said, referring to Tuesday's debate about a planned Islamic centre.
"If you are an LNP councillor you can do no wrong, but apparently as an independent I do everything wrong."
Cr Johnston was originally elected as a Liberal Party candidate, but quit the LNP after a major spat with the then-Campbell Newman-led administration.
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