After more than four hours and at-times fiery debate, Cumberland City Council has overturned its ban on a same-sex parenting library book.
The book will now be moved to the junior non-fiction section of the Council’s libraries.
The Sydney Morning Herald provided rolling coverage on its website as the meeting unfolded.
An estimated crowd of 200 protestors, including groups for and against the ban, gathered outside the council chamber in Merrylands.
It was reported that Police closed the street to traffic and remained to control the crowd through the evening.
The Council heard from 17 speakers, followed by debate on the motion to overturn the ban and various amendments.
Mayor Lisa Lake ejected several people from the gallery during the evening for interjecting, yelling and unruly behaviour.
Just before 11pm, the Council voted 12 to 2 to overturn the ban and move the book to a different section of the library.
Cr Steve Christou, who moved the original motion to ban the book, was critical of those councillors that changed their position, inferring they had succumbed to pressure from the media.
Two petitions seeking a reversal of the ban amassed more than 50,000 signatures in the week since the Council’s original decision.