Justice
Newcastle, Australia, City Council Wants to Fire Themselves
A years-long controversy over fig trees is wearing away at some local officials
It’s not often that city officials call for their own firing. But it’s happening now in Newcastle, Australia, where a few of the local city councilors are calling for their entire body to be canned. The unlikely cause? Fig trees.
It’s a political soap opera in Newcastle, where a string of iconic and massive fig trees on the city’s Laman Street has created a morass of red tape and public outrage. Back in June the city council’s insurer announced that it would no longer cover any claims related to the trees, which have grown immense and, according to an arborist, in danger of dying and falling over. The council approved a plan in 2009 to cut down the trees and the idea has been a political battle ever since.