Cumberland councillors Joseph Rahme, Steve Christou eye Granville state seat

Rivals have gained momentum for a tilt at a state seat in western Sydney, where they feel the sitting MP is vulnerable after more voters shunned “arrogant” Labor at the weekend’s council elections.

Steve Christou and Joseph Rahme will contemplate an attempt to unseat MP Julia Finn at the 2027 state election.

Rivals have gained momentum for a tilt at the state seat of Granville, held by Labor MP Julia Finn, after her party slid in the traditional ALP stronghold of Cumberland in the local council poll.

Our Local Community’s Steve Christou and Liberal Joseph Rahme registered strong results in the Granville ward in Saturday’s local government elections, giving them renewed confidence to contest Ms Finn’s seat at the 2027 state election.

As of 7.45pm on Monday, Mr Rahme and Mr Christou trailed Labor’s Ola Hamed by 529 and 629 votes respectively in the primary vote, which sees Labor’s Ola Hamed lead with 36 per cent of the vote.

All three will be re-elected in Cumberland.

Liberal Joseph Rahme.

Mr Rahme, a lifelong Granville resident, said he had recorded the biggest growth in the ward.

“My results were outstanding,’’ he said.

“The results were a reflection of the hard work I have put in over the last term, the fact that I have not been afraid to stand up for what is right and most importantly the fact that I have stayed true to my principles – and the principles that people elected me to purvey.’’

He cited a changing demographic for the drop in Labor votes.

“The demographics and people’s priorities are changing in a big way,’’ he said.

“I just think it’s not a safe Labor seat anymore.’’

That includes double-income professional couples with disposable pay packets who are moving to be closer to the Parramatta CBD.

“Riding on the coat-tails of Parramatta being a second city, Granville is no longer just families and a safe Labor seat,’’ Mr Rahme said.

“It’s not solely dominated by people of Middle Eastern heritage.’’

Joseph Rahme says Granville’s demographics are changing because of its proximity to Parramatta.

Mr Rahme, an accountant and project manager, cited the cost-of-living crisis for driving more professionals to Granville compared with “10 years ago’’ when they would have moved to the inner west suburbs of Leichhardt or Strathfield.

The Islamic vote, he said, comprised a big portion of the constituency but was more prevalent in the South Granville ward where pharmacist Ahmed Ouf holds 22.55 per cent of the primary vote – narrowly ahead of Labor (21.58 per cent).

Mr Rahme knows winning Granville would be a big task.

“It’s three years away … it needs the moons to align,’’ he said.

The last time the Liberals won the state seat in the ALP heartland was when Tony Issa defeated David Borger in 2011.

But in the meantime he labelled Ms Hamed’s results disastrous.

She hit back and said his vote increased since the 2021 poll because he ran under the Liberal banner. The party did not endorse candidates in the council elections three years ago.

“I understand their excitement but as we await the final results, including below-the-line counts and redistributions, it’s premature for any candidate to claim anything,’’ Ms Hamed said.

In the state seat, Ms Finn holds it by a whopping 21.5 per cent margin after Labor enjoyed a 12 per cent swing in the 2023 poll.

Steve Christou and Joe Rahme have been re-elected to Cumberland Council but have ambitions for state politics.

A “thrilled” Mr Christou – who quit Labor in 2019 – declared he would contemplate a challenge in the state election after a “horror weekend” for Labor, with Granville now a marginal seat.

“The Labor Party has been given its report card by Cumberland residents and they have graded Labor with an ‘F’ for fail,’’ he said.

The conservative councillor said the electorate was no longer going to accept the Labor Party’s “incompetence and lack of will to prioritise cost-of-living pressures over woke ideology”, including its support for the Voice to Parliament campaign.

“On the weekend, residents decided to draw a line in the sand because of this arrogant, abhorrent behaviour,’’ he said.

“They want representatives who prioritise their issues and concerns and are prepared to go into battle to fight for them.’’

Mr Christou has long expressed his desire to run in the state seat and also stood in the Parramatta federal poll in 2022, when he finished with 3.5 per cent of the vote after Labor’s Andrew Charlton claimed the key battleground.

Mr Christou is now up for a challenge in Granville state politics.

“Local residents deserve better than the long-term mediocrity they are currently receiving,’’ he said.

Ms Finn also blamed the cost of living for a change in voter habits.

Julia Finn near her Merrylands office. Picture: Monique Harmer

“People are clearly struggling with the cost of living and the decline in the vote for major parties reflects this,’’ she said.

She said the Liberals’ vote had not increased since 2017 when it last endorsed candidates.

She said the South Granville results reflected concern about Gaza and, “unlike Rahme and Christou”, she had “campaigned for Palestinian rights for years’’.

Mr Rahme clapped back.

“That’s right, I haven’t campaigned as the local council focuses on ratepayers – roads, footpaths and the local area,’’ he said.

“She should spend less time on federal matters and focus on the Bold St bridge, potholes, express trains from Granville, the Merrylands Bridge and overall traffic congestion.’’

Mr Christou blamed Labor’s failure to acknowledge residents’ struggles for losing voters in South Granville.

“As for the plight of the Palestinian people I am more informed and aware of their plight than most as my sister-in-law is Palestinian and we see the toll it has taken on families first hand,’’ he said.

Ms Finn said there was “much more to come” for the community.

“Labor is already delivering preschools in six of our local schools, with tenders for construction shortly,’’ she said.

“I have never taken my electorate for granted and work as hard now with a 21 per cent margin as I did when it was 2.1 per cent.’’