A group of councillors in western Sydney opposed to a contentious decision to ban books about same-sex parenting has vowed to overturn the “censorship”.

This week’s decision by Cumberland City Council has sparked outrage, threatening the council’s funding and attracting the attention of NSW’s discrimination watchdog.

Councillors voted 6-5 on Tuesday to “take immediate action to rid same-sex parents books/materials in council’s library service”.

The row focuses on five copies of a book called A Focus On: Same-Sex Parents that have been in the council’s libraries since 2019.

It is part of a series that aims to inform children about “difficult realities” and “healthy ways for children to process and understand them”.

Late on Wednesday, one of the councillors who voted against the ban, Kun Huang, said Cumberland’s elected representatives “have collectively disappointed” its population of 240,000.

“No elected representative should have the power to ban books at your local library on a whim. This kind of censorship by politicians should have no place in Australia,” Huang wrote on Facebook.

“This is just not who we are. I want to assure you that this is not over. Myself, councillor Sabrin Farooqui, Glenn Elmore and councillor [Diane] Colman have lodged a rescission motion against the banning of library books.

“I will update you once the matter is confirmed to come back to the council for debate.”

A rescission motion seeks to rescind a council resolution and return to the status quo – as if the resolution had never been made.

The councillors who voted against the book ban were all Labor aligned.

A sixth Labor councillor, Mohamad Hussein, broke ranks with his party to ensure the vote passed. He has told The New Daily that he stands by his decision.

“This decision was made in line with my religious beliefs and I will not be compromising those beliefs,” he said.

The councillor who put forward the motion, former mayor Steve Christou, said the community wanted the book banned.

“I’m only representing the values of our community and what the majority of people are telling us … we’re not marginalising anyone here,” he said.

Christou is aligned with Our Local Community, a NSW local government political party that four Cumberland councillors belong to.

He maintains the ban will help local children “avoid confusion”.

But OLC’s Parramatta branch appears to have broken from the Cumberland view.

“OLC councillors are independent and represent their respective areas. As leader of OLC Parramatta team, I support our libraries in Parramatta having books to suit any demographic, any piece of history, good or bad,” the group posted on Facebook late on Wednesday.

Anti-Discrimination NSW is also concerned.

“We live in a diverse and multicultural society, and it is important that our diversity is represented in the books available to our communities,” president Helen McKenzie said.

“For rainbow families living in the Cumberland council area, this is a hurtful and divisive act, which impacts them and their children.

“It also impacts non-rainbow families who wish to teach their children about acceptance, diversity and inclusion.”

NSW Arts Minister John Graham said banning books was a bad sign for civilisations, adding local councillors should not engage in censorship.

“It is up to readers to choose which book to take off the shelf,” he said.

“We are examining the consequences this decision may have for the council continuing to receive library funding from the NSW government.”

Mayor Lisa Lake was among the councillors who voted no, adding she vehemently disagreed with the decision.

“Rather than have people complain to me about the book, I’m now getting a lot of people who are disappointed with the decision and wishing us to reverse it,” she told ABC Radio.

Cumberland local Caroline Staples said the area welcomed people of all backgrounds and beliefs and the move crossed a dangerous line.

Her petition to overturn the decision has received backing from Equality Australia ahead of the council’s next meeting on May 15.

-with AAP