City of Sydney: Call to have all Harbour City residents vote in running of CBD

The property industry has put forward a bold plan to hand control of the CBD to all Sydneysiders — instead of just the 140,000 in the inner city’s “quasi-bohemian” suburbs

Every resident of greater Sydney would get a vote in the Lord Mayoral elections to ensure the CBD is run for everyone — and not just residents of “historic and quasi bohemian” suburbs — under a pitch from the property development industry.

Ahead of the September local government elections, Urban Taskforce chief Tom Forrest said NSW must rethink the lack of broad voter representation in determining leadership of Sydney City Council and the Lord Mayor.

CEO of the NSW Urban Taskforce Tom Forrest wants a change to voting rules for the City of Sydney. Picture: David Swift

Mr Forrest said the CBD vied to be the financial capital of Australia but just 140,000 people in the City of Sydney LGA were entitled to a vote. “Over five million people reside in Greater Sydney, approximately half a million people work in the Sydney CBD but it’s the vote of only 140,000 residents within the City of Sydney LGA who ultimately determine who runs the CBD of the heartland of Australia’s economy,” he wrote in an opinion piece in today’s Daily Telegraph.

“It is time for a rethink.

“It’s time for representation for the workers, the investors, the employers, those who love to party and dine, to attend theatre, opera, live bands, or a quiet walk in Hyde Park — why should someone in Paddington have a say on who makes these decisions but residents of Blacktown or investors from Strathfield don't?”

Christine Forster. Picture: Richard Dobson

Retiring Liberal councillor Christine Forster said she would be open to backing a reformulation of the voter base for Sydney City Council claiming there was a “strong argument for everyone in Sydney to have a say.

Ms Forster said it was important for the Lord Mayor to “look over her own horizon” which is a significant issue when you are “Lord Mayor of the economic engine room of the state”.

Mr Forrest drew a contrast with the City of Brisbane Lord Mayoral elections, which represent the entire city with 629,961 people casting a vote last year.

In the City of Sydney 2016 election, there were just 141,369 electors and just 85,487 votes cast.

In 2014, the NSW government expanded City of Sydney voting eligibility so that businesses in the council area were required to vote, and were given two votes, however Mr Forrest’s proposal goes further.

The remarks come ahead of the government’s second Sydney Summit, designed to revive the CBD’s economy post COVID. 


Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore. Picture: Adam Taylor

The CBD has been identified by Treasurer Dominic Perrottet as the region which has been slow to bounce back. Relations between Lord Mayor Clover Moore and the State Government have strengthened over the course of the pandemic, with the Lord Mayor working closely with ministers like Mr Perrottet on ventures like outdoor dining.

However there remains a deep-seated planning tension, which was highlighted by the stoush over the Star’s proposed Ritz Carlton six star tower last year.

“Who stands up for the broader economy of greater Sydney — for those that take the daily track from Wollongong, Gosford, the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains, from Camden, Campbelltown, Rouse Hill, Pittwater, Bondi and everywhere in between,” Mr Forrest said.