Brisbane Councillor Ordered to Apologize for Israel-Palestine Pamphlet Deemed “Propaganda”

A Brisbane councillor must issue a formal apology and reimburse thousands of dollars after an independent review found her newsletter on the Israel-Palestine conflict constituted “propaganda” that could make Jewish community members feel unsafe.

Trina Massey, the Greens representative for the inner-city Gabba ward, distributed a spring newsletter to thousands of Brisbane residents in August last year that included a controversial two-page spread titled “Khalil’s Story,” which purported to outline the history of the Middle East conflict.

The article immediately sparked backlash from constituents who criticized its inflammatory and partisan language. Critics noted that the timeline began with Ottoman rule in the Middle Ages, omitted both the Holocaust and October 7 attacks, and suggested Jewish people were not indigenous to Israel.

“The first emotion was anger,” one resident told independent investigators. “Then it was fear, and concern because it’s pure hate speech. She has a bachelor of arts in history; she knows the timeline of the Middle East hasn’t started in 1516. You could say it was ignorant if it was someone else, but this is intentionally misleading.”

On Monday, Brisbane Council’s ethics committee – comprising three Labor and three Liberal National Party councillors – unanimously endorsed the findings of an independent review conducted by FairFact Consulting Services. The investigation determined that Massey had breached several behavioral standards.

According to the report, the article was “essentially propaganda and a ‘call to arms’ for pro-Palestinian support that is not objective to the rest of the community,” and “could reasonably be expected to make members of the Jewish community feel unsafe, victimised, and targeted.” However, the report rejected other aspects of the complaints and did not characterize the article as antisemitic.

The committee ruled that Massey must publish a public apology in her next ward newsletter and on social media platforms, repay the Brisbane City Council $10,000 – half the cost of the publication – and undertake training and counseling on the code of conduct at her own expense.

The controversy has escalated into a heated public dispute. Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner harshly criticized Massey on Wednesday, claiming she used “Hamas talking points” and was “fanning the flames of hatred” contrary to national security advice.

“This is something that agencies like ASIO have warned against,” Schrinner said. “They were warning politicians to tone it down and be careful about their language and not fan the flames of hatred. Not only is this material offensive to our Jewish community… I am genuinely sickened.”

In response, Massey fired back with allegations of defamation against the Lord Mayor. “The LNP lord mayor’s comments today are shameful, defamatory, and are not substantiated by the council’s own report. I reject his claims and am considering my options,” she said in a statement released through the Greens party.

“It is disgraceful that this LNP politician would cynically exploit the nation’s grief in an attempt to silence my community’s strong advocacy for peace. My constituents advocate for peace, and will continue to do so.”

Massey did not personally write the controversial article. Dr. Jamal Nabulsi, an academic and rapper, was paid $2,800 for the 500-word contribution. Despite the backlash, Massey initially defended the piece, stating in a September 2024 social media post: “Some of the information included in my newsletter may be uncomfortable to read, but this is the nature of truth telling. As Australians living on stolen Indigenous land, it’s important that we sit with this discomfort as we challenge our own histories of occupation and invasion.”

Jason Steinberg, president of the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, joined Schrinner at City Hall to condemn the newsletter. “This is propaganda… several members have said they don’t feel safe walking in West End,” he stated, referring to a neighborhood in Massey’s ward.

A member of the ethics committee who was not affiliated with the ruling LNP noted that the timing of Monday’s decision was coincidental and unrelated to the recent Bondi attack targeting Jewish people. Massey has previously condemned Hamas and the October 7 attacks, and after the Bondi incident posted on social media: “Jewish people have a right to safety. Antisemitism has no place in our community, and this abhorrent attack is an attack on all of us.”