Council elections 2017: When, where and who you will be voting for
From where to vote to getting to know your candidates, here is everything you need to know before heading to the polls tomorrow in Canterbury-Bankstown.
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In less than 24 hours, Canterbury-Bankstown residents will head to the polls to elect their first council.
Polling stations will open at 8am tomorrow at 75 locations across the city, and stay open until 6pm.
Arrive at 6.01pm and you could face a fine of $110 - voting is compulsory for Australian citizens over 18 years old who live in the council area.
There will be a big field of choice for local voters, with 57 candidates putting their hand up for the job.
Only 15 councillors will be elected, with three representatives for the
Bankstown, Bass Hill, Canterbury, Revesby and Roselands wards.
Once voting is finalised on Saturday night, residents will only know first-preference votes.
It is anticipated that all counts will be completed and results declared by the following Saturday.
An explanation of voting methods and counting can be found at the following link: votensw.info/results/counting_the_votes
To find out more about your candidates, scroll below.
IMOGEN WAREING
Party: Australian Labor Party
Profession: HR project manager, facilitator, public speaking coach
Ward you are running in: Canterbury
Three main priorities if elected as councillor: Stop the NSW Liberals overdevelopment under the guise of the Sydenham to Bankstown Line and the Priority Precincts. Have council commission a report into the effects of these development proposal and how the NSW government has not provided additional funding to deal with our over crowded schools and hospitals. Protect and upgrade our parks, sporting fields and recreational facilities. Ensure that fields such as Rudd Park and Earlwood oval are able to cope with the area’s growing population and are accessible to all. To promote social inclusion and ensure that council has an affordable housing strategy.
FLORIS LAM
Party: Australian Labor Party
Profession: Medical secretary
Ward you are running in: Canterbury
Three main priorities if elected as councillor: Stop the NSW Liberals overdevelopment under the guise of the Sydenham to Bankstown Line and the Priority Precincts. Have council commission a report into the effects of these development proposal and how the NSW government has not provided additional funding to deal with our over crowded schools and hospitals. Protect and upgrade our parks, sporting fields and recreational facilities. Ensure that fields such as Rudd Park and Earlwood oval are able to cope with the area’s growing population and are accessible to all. To promote multiculturalism and diversity in our area.
CLARE RAFFAN
Party: Australian Labor Party
Profession: Organisier for United Services Union (USU)
Ward you are running in: Canterbury
Three main priorities if elected as councillor: Stop the NSW Liberals overdevelopment under the guise of the Sydenham to Bankstown Line and the Priority Precincts. Have council commission a report into the effects of these development proposal and how the NSW government has not provided additional funding to deal with our over crowded schools and hospitals.
Protect and upgrade our parks, sporting fields and recreational facilities. Ensure that fields such as Rudd Park and Earlwood oval are able to cope with the area’s growing population and are accessible to all.
Keep local services and jobs, fight the privatisation of council services.
WENDY LINDSAY
Party: Independent
Profession: Manager of Bankstown Auburn Community Radio
Ward you are running in: Revesby
Three main priorities if elected as Councillor:
1. Oppose the overdevelopment of our suburbs.
Ensure that the impact of any development on existing residents is fully considered and accountable. Developments which involve an intensification of the use of a site, need to be tightly assessed within the existing building codes.
2. Fight for our public and green spaces.
The Local Area Plans presented at the Extra Ordinary Meeting of Council on the 11th of May 2016, had several amendments moved and carried that will significantly impact the public and green spaces in our area. This was the last council meeting before the amalgamation and the numerous residents who spoke at that meeting (myself included) were largely ignored.
3. Community activist representing the rights of residents.
I am a hard working, community orientated local who would like to be your voice at council. I wish to represent the views of residents. Real people like you and myself, not developers who only care about their profits.
CHRIS BROGAN
Party: Independent
Profession: Ecologist
Ward you are running in: Revesby
Three main priorities if elected as Councillor:
1. Of particular concern has been the rezoning of Riverlands Golf Course for housing. Riverlands Golf Course in Milperra occupies an area of approximately 80 Hectares on the Georges River floodplain and retains significant ecological and heritage values. Despite being recognised by council as Regionally Significant Conservation Land it was rezoned for housing in June 2015. In early 2016 a development application was submitted to Council seeking approval for the destruction of 1,300 remnant bushland trees for preliminary site works. Many of these trees have Aboriginal or Cultural scars, the origin of which has been confirmed by members of Bankstown’s Aboriginal community. The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage has however determined that these scar trees are not Cultural. As such Riverlands is not protected under NSW legislation or the Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act. The NSW Government has announced plans for large scale development at Riverlands.
2. I believe that the primary functions of Canterbury Bankstown Council should be service delivery, promotion of social harmony and advocating for the interests of the community.
JOANNE KUNIANSKY
Party: Communist League
Profession: Machine operator and unionist in a food factory
Ward you are running in: Bass Hill
Three main priorities if elected as Councillor: A working-class alternative to Liberal and Labor, parties defending big business interests while workers are ground down by the deepening crisis of the profit system.
A public works program paying workers union wages to build and improve hospitals, schools, parks, affordable housing and public transport.
Supporting a woman’s right to choose abortion by taking abortion out of the NSW Crimes Act.
Opposing bosses’ divide-and- rule tactics targeting immigrants. Unionise all workers, casual and immigrant, youth and women.
A revolutionary party to lead workers and farmers to power for a new society based on human solidarity, not dog-eat-dog capitalism.
LINCOLN SHAFIQULLAH
Party: Independent
Profession: Accountant CPA
Ward you are running in: Roselands
Three main priorities if elected as councillor:
1. Parking issues: Pursue the council to build multi-storeyed car parking facility next to all our train stations and shopping areas.
2. Senior citizens: Raise voice for rate relief for pensioners who are in severe financial hardship and also facilitate more retirement villages for the senior citizens instead of first-track high rise development.
3. Inconsistent development: Scrutinise the inconsistent developments which were proposed and passed by the previous councillors and take further action plan.
JAMES ROONEY
Party: The Greens
Profession: History teacher
Ward you are running in: Revesby
Three main priorities if elected as Councillor:
Being a voice for local residents to ensure that community concerns are not overridden by the interests of developers or big business.
Promoting sustainable development that protects local heritage and meets the community interest test. In addition, preserving the biodiversity of the local area, by protecting the parks and green spaces already earmarked for development, as well as the Georges River Precinct and remnant bushland.
Advocating for a light rail connection from Bankstown to Parramatta and improving existing rail and bus services, as well as the development of an integrated network of bicycle paths and walking tracks.
LINDA DOWNEY AND STEVE TUNTEVSKI
Party: Australian Labor Party
Professions: High school teacher, Compliance officer, journalist
Ward: Revesby Ward
Three main priorities if elected as councillor:
Re-establish Bankstown City Council under its pre amalgamation boundaries.
Oppose the Liberal State Governments proposals to rezoning our suburbs for high rise development as they propose in Riverwood and the Priority Precinct model being implement along rail corridors
Oppose Liberal State Government plan to implement the proposals of the Draft Medium Density Design Guide which will significantly impact on our residential suburbs and the current suburban lifestyle and open spaces that we enjoy. It will also drastically reduce the ability of our council to influence and manage the overall development of our local environment for the benefit of the whole community.
LINDA EISLER
Party: The Greens
Profession: Retired School Teacher; Ex- Councillor
Ward you are running in: Canterbury
Three main priorities if elected as councillor:
Residents deserve integrity and honesty. I have been and will remain incorruptible. I am proud of my record of seven years on council fighting for residents and their needs. Residents should be informed about, and be able to have a say on, all developments affecting them. We want attractive and safe living spaces, so maintenance, cleaning and garbage-collection must be first-rate.
We need to increase school facilities, green space, playing fields, hospital beds and community centres. We need a strong council to stand up to the State Government’s development onslaught. I will work to put a spine in council.
EMMET DE BHALDRAITHE
Party: The Greens
Profession: Retail Sales
Ward you are running in: Roselands
Three main priorities if elected as councillor:
The Greens will put people, not profit, at the heart of all Council decisions. We will plan for liveable, affordable and sustainable housing and increase services such as e-waste collection, libraries and community centres.
We will lobby the state government to keep the Bankstown line in public hands and increase services of the current heavy rail trains, in place of the costly private metro plan.
The Greens will restore the community interest test in decision making on local government. The people should have the final say on the amalgamation of Canterbury-Bankstown Councils through referendum, not the minister of the day.
GEORGE ZAKHIA
Party: Liberal
Ward you are running in: Bankstown
Three main priorities if elected as councillor:
I have been working with many residents in order to ensure the best results for those who require assistance with matters such as affordable housing, access to centerlink entitlements and local services for people with genuine needs.
I also feel that the more privileged of us have a responsibility to the disabled and elderly who have been neglected for far too long.
I strongly believe in our youth. There is no doubt that our young people are our most viable chance at a bright and prosperous future. I am here to ensure that the resources and support is ready and in place for each and every young individual in order for them to achieve their goals, even if those goals haven’t yet been decided, I will ensure that they can be met at a local level.
JACQUIE DREDGE
Party: Independent
Ward: Revesby
Three main priorities if elected as councillor:
I decided to run for council with Revesby Independents because the area needs representatives that will advocate on behalf of residents. We are not career politicians, we are concerned citizens like everyone else that have been scratching our heads at the over development of the Revesby area. Five years ago, I was on Student Council at UWS and was active in opposing the uni’s plans for the student residences which directly affected Milperra residents. Like all DAs in the area, it went ahead anyway, not from lack of people power!
BOB WILSON
Party: Independent
Profession: Retired retail store manager
Ward you are running in: Revesby
Three main priorities if elected as councillor:
If elected I want to see council move away from political matters and be fully representative of the local ratepayers and their issues. Stop the forced high rise by the state government.
Put in measures to slow down speeding drivers through our suburbs.
Propose a campaign in conjunction with all local councils and put pressure on all governments to adopt a packaging regulation of what materials goods may be packed in to curb the issues of disposal and recycling.
There are a total of 57 candidates standing for Canterbury-Bankstown Council across five wards: Bankstown, Bass Hill, Canterbury, Revesby, and Roselands. The remaining candidates have not provided profiles:
Bankstown ward
Tien Nguyen, Liberal
Akil Ahmad, Liberal
Khal Asfour, Labor
Bilal El-Hayek, Labor
Nahil Chidiac, Labor
Saud Abu-Samen, Independent
Amer El-Adbi, Independent
Abir Abu-Samen, Independent
Bass Hill ward
Charles Ishac, Liberal
Anamul Haque, Liberal
Lam Nguyen, Liberal
Alex Kuskoff, Labor
Rachelle Harika, Labor
Mariam Mourad, Labor
Allan Winterbottom, Our Local Community
James Lowe, Our Local Community
Jacqui Winters, Our Local Community
Joanne Kuniansky, Communist League
Canterbury ward
Catherine Turner, The Greens
Kristian Bodell, The Greens
Philip Madirazza, Liberal
Mirjana Maksimovic, Liberal
Joseph Nadda, Liberal
Jennifer Azzi, Our Local Community
Michael Kotsopoulos, Our Local Community
Caterina McLean, Our Local Community
Revesby ward
John Ky, The Greens
Sue Virago, The Greens
Glen Waud, Liberal
Ruth Le Bas, Liberal
Richard Noonan, Liberal
Gemma Ashton, Labor
Scott Parker, Our Local Community
Jan Parker, Our Local Community
Ron Parker, Our Local Community
Roselands ward
Nadia Saleh, Labor
Mohammad Huda, Labor
Hassan Kureshi, Labor
Janice Hall, The Greens
Stephen Moralee, The Greens
Mohammad Zaman, Liberal
William Vasiliades, Liberal
George El-Mourani, Liberal
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