The Queensland government says it will change the law to stop a bloke named Pineapple – a climate change activist who rides around town barefoot on a collection of vintage pushbikes – becoming the new mayor of Rockhampton.
On Monday the elected mayor, Margaret Strelow, resigned after a councillor conduct tribunal found she had engaged in misconduct by failing to update her register of interests to include hospitality received from the mining giant Adani.
Under new Queensland local government rules, the resignation of a mayor or councillor does not prompt a byelection. Instead, the second-placed candidate from the most recent election is appointed.
Strelow’s only opponent at the Rockhampton mayoral election in March was the independent Chris “Pineapple” Hooper, a local climate and peace activist who sleeps in a CBD shopfront that doubles as a “way out there” drop-in centre for artists.
Hooper – who won 31% of the vote – says the Covid pandemic is “a dress rehearsal for manmade climate change”.
During his campaign, Hooper hand-wrote his press releases. He doesn’t wear shoes or drive a car. A few years ago, the council tried to shut down the drop-in centre.
“I was saying today I might have to buy a new pair of thongs [to go into the council chambers]. I don’t want to dress up in [fancy] clothes. People judge me because I’ve got no shoes on.”
Hooper told Guardian Australia he admired Cathy McGowan, the former independent member for the Victorian seat of Indi, and the way she built a broad political movement as an independent. He believes the same sort of approach can break through some of the bitter politics – particularly around coal and climate – that manifest in Rockhampton.
“I’ve been talking about having a community board at the council, a mob of people to advise what the community wants. It’s just not the old councillors making decisions.”
Rockhampton is Australia’s self-proclaimed “beef capital” – a working-class regional hub for nearby cattle and coal country. Few locals actually work in the resources sector. The area has higher-than-average unemployment.
“People in Rocky are pretty conservative, I’ve got the ability to get out there in front of their faces, you know. You’ve probably got to do it a little different to going into the council … get the whole community to work together.”
Strelow has been the mayor for 16 of the past 20 years. She quit Labor in 2017 to run as an independent at the state election, citing a lack of government support for Adani.
The same year, she was one of five regional mayors to accompany the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, to India to meet representatives from Adani. During the trip she was flown by the company to one of its large solar farms.
The tribunal found Strelow’s failure to properly declare hospitality provided by Adani amounted to misconduct and recommended she publicly apologise. Strelow, who disputes the finding, resigned instead.
In October, as the tribunal investigation took place, Strelow posted a bizarre video on Facebook, wearing a suit made from bubble wrap.
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“This is to try to protect me. If something happens to me you don’t have to vote … if anything happens to me then Chris Hooper is automatically your mayor. He’s your mayor for three-and-a-half years.”
On Tuesday morning, after Strelow’s resignation, Hooper came under pressure to stand aside and allow a byelection.
Moments before he spoke to Guardian Australia, the Labor state MP for Keppel, Brittany Lauga, turned up at Hooper’s shop and tried to persuade him not to accept the mayoralty.
By noon, the Queensland local government minister, Stirling Hinchliffe, had announced that once the new parliament was sworn in, the government would retrospectively change the rules to allow a byelection.
“I have received advice that should this be completed at the earliest opportunity, any vacancies to any mayoral or councillor positions that have recently arisen will need to be filled through a byelection,” Hinchliffe said.
“This will ensure communities can have a proper vote to determine who represents them.”
Hooper, who is a former coal train driver and a self-funded retiree, said he would not take a salary if he became mayor. He will also refuse a mayoral car – instead getting around on his collection of pushbikes, which include an orange pedal-powered Kombi van with a “Stop Adani” sign on the side.
The drop-in centre is four doors down from coal-loving senator Matt Canavan’s Rockhampton office. Hooper and others hold weekly protests there on Fridays.
“Matt’s right off the planet,” Hooper said. “We have a fair bit to do with him; every Friday we do a protest outside his office. Some people toot, some people shout out ‘get a job you bastard’.”