The four Labor councillors on Shellharbour City Council staged a walkout at Tuesday night's meeting.
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It comes after months of increasing tensions between the four councillors and the five independents.
The apparent cause was a testy motion on the possible return of Breakfast By The Lake, during which councillor Kellie Marsh was accused of "stifling debate" and Labor councillor Rob Petreski moved a motion of dissent over a ruling of Mayor Chris Homer.
Cr John Davey called for a return of the Breakfast By The Lake event at Reddall Reserve, with a detailed list of requirements in the motion - including children's entertainment, a welcome to country, adequate shade, temporary toilets and a secure car park.
"From 1984, for almost 30 years we have Breakfast By The Lake," Cr Davey said.
"It was one of the seminal events for our city, one of the largest attendances for any events in the city.
"The reason I brought this into the chamber in the first place was because of the unsolicited representations being made to me as a councillor from various members of the community over a number of months about a desire to bring back Breakfast By The Lake."
Cr Marsh spoke in favour of the motion, while Labor's Moira Hamilton opposed it because she felt the $70,000 it would cost would be better spent somewhere else.
Cr Maree Duffy-Moon agreed with her Labor colleague.
"This is a expense to the council at a time when we were just advised that we will be running at a deficit," Cr Duffy-Moon said.
"There are certainly many more things I feel the community would benefit from from this amount of money ... for just a few hours that not all our community can or will attend."
Cr Rob Petreski also attempted to speak but was cut off by Cr Marsh who noted there had been two speakers both for and against and called for the motion to be put.
This saw Cr Duffy-Moon criticise her for "stifling debate".
The Breakfast By The Lake vote was passed 5-4, and then Cr Petreski called for a "consequential motion" arising from it.
His motion expressed concern that neither the Australia Day Committee nor the Aboriginal Advisory Committee had been consulted on this motion, and he felt they should have that opportunity.
Mayor Homer refused the motion, which saw Cr Petreski move a motion of dissent in the chair.
That motion of dissent was lost 5-4.
Shortly afterwards, Labor councillors Petreski, Hamilton, Duffy-Moon and Cr Lou Stefanovski got up from their chairs and left the meeting.
They did not return and the meeting continued on without them.
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