Ted Mack broke the Liberal party hold on North Sydney seat

North Sydney has been a traditional stronghold for the Liberal party — with the exception of a historic run for independent Ted Mack.

Ted Mack is regarded as the father of the independents. Picture: Richard Dobson

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North Sydney has been a traditional stronghold for the Liberal party — with the exception of a historic run for independent Ted Mack.

The maverick politician took a sharp pair of scissors to the blue ribbon status in 1990 and held the federal seat for six years. His decision to bow out just before he was due to receive his parliamentary pension was an iconic moment in Australian politics.

Mack was working as an architect when North Sydney Council approved a 17-storey office block by his back fence in the early ‘70s.

The anger over this decision spurred him on to create change in the political system as he believed the people should hold the power. He was elected as a councillor shortly after and eventually worked his way up to become Mayor.

Mack with his beloved Citroen.

His different approach to the role gathered a lot of attention and he sold the mayoral Mercedes-Benz to fund community buses. Instead, he got around the area in his beloved 1951 Citroen at no cost to ratepayers.

Many of his initiatives can still be felt in the area today such as the tree-lined streets, green spaces and renovation of North Sydney Oval.

Mack’s popularity soared in the area and in 1981 he successfully stood as an independent in the state election for the seat of North Shore. He defeated the Liberal leader Bruce McDonald in what was considered to be safe Liberal territory.

He called for a ban on organochlorine pesticides.

With fellow independents during question time in Canberra.

He continued to serve throughout the ‘80s and retired from all public offices before he was due to qualify for a $1 million state parliamentary pension, a protest against the excesses of public life.

Mack then set his sights on the biggest political stage in the country. In 1990 he defeated Liberal John Spender with a swing of more than 44 per cent, paving the way for a new generation of independent politicians in Canberra.

He was the only vote against Australian involvement in the 1991 Gulf War.

Reflecting on his career, he said his proudest moments were as mayor of North Sydney Council.

“My local government period was obviously the best,” he said.

“My greatest achievement federally was to prove an independent could get elected.

“Since then independents have proliferated. Some people might regard that as a bad thing. I was the first for half a century.”

Mack in North Sydney.

Mack died last year aged 84 after a long illness.

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