City of Sydney bans political posters ahead of election
Clover Moore has ignored an edict from her own council banning political posters in homes in a move that has been criticised as “gagging free speech.”
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
An “oppressive” edict from City of Sydney council banning residents from displaying political posters has outraged locals, with the Lord Mayor Clover Moore flouting the rule herself.
Council chief executive Monica Barone last month wrote a letter to candidates ordering them “to arrange for the removal of any campaign material that is currently displayed on public or private land within the City of Sydney.”
In the letter, Ms Barone cited planning and anti-graffiti policies banning political material on private land, except in the five weeks before an election, and on public land except the two weeks prior to the December 4 election. “The City will remove posters on its land that don’t comply with the above conditions,” the letter read.
Ms Moore has been accused of a double standard, with Team Clover placards still erected throughout the City of Sydney, with The Daily Telegraph counting at least three on Flinders St and Rosland Gardens on Tuesday.
She also raised eyebrows after sending a text to residents on October 18, almost seven weeks before the election, urging them to “display a poster… and support Team Clover!”
A link in the text says nothing about displaying the poster only in the month before the election and promises “one of our volunteers will drop the Team Clover poster next week.”
Candidate Yvonne Weldon said the rule was an attempt at election interference and called on the council to immediately withdraw the ban.
“This action is an abuse of executive power by the City of Sydney to favour the incumbent Lord Mayor, whose posters are on display all over the City of Sydney. It’s a double standard,” she said.
“Allowing the City of Sydney to cancel people they don’t agree with is a step on the road to totalitarianism.”
A spokesperson for the Lord Mayor said distribution of the posters had begun but confirmed “volunteers will be contacted to ensure any posters mistakenly put up early are taken down.”
Expect more delays: Trains dispute spills over to Sunday
Public transport users have been told to brace for another day of train delays and cancellations on Sunday, after the industrial umpire postponed its decision on the rail dispute.
September 11 ‘thank you’ artwork forced award backflip
A Sydney artist was withdrawn as Australia’s selection for a global exhibition after the discovery of his work titled “Thank You Very Much”, featuring confronting images of the September 11 terror attack.