Waverley and Woollahra councils: 2021 NSW election results for eastern suburbs of Sydney

The Liberal Party has lodged a complaint with the Electoral Commission, claiming something has “blatantly” gone wrong with part of the Woollahra election.

LATEST

A worryingly high number of informal votes at Vaucluse Bowling Club has caused the Liberal Party to make an official complaint to the NSW Electoral Commission.

A staggering 290 votes which equates to 25 per cent of the votes at the booth were deemed informal with a further 876 formal votes also cast at the booth.

Meanwhile a misunderstanding which led to a Liberal scrutineer being excluded from the Rose Bay Public School booth also formed part of the complaint.

Lead Liberal candidate for Vaucluse Ward Mary-Lou Jarvis, who is set to comfortably be re-elected to along with fellow Liberal Susan Wynne, said she was very concerned by the high number of informal votes at the booth.

“It’s blatantly obvious that something has gone wrong at that bowling club when you have an informal vote that high,” Ms Jarvis said.

“But I’m obviously very grateful to the voters of Vaucluse Ward who resoundingly supported the Liberal team I lead with Susan and our number three Kevin Berry.”

Mary-Lou Jarvis has concerns about the high number of informal votes.

Early results for Woollahra indicate there is still one seat in dispute.

Cooper Ward remains on a knife edge with the Liberals comfortably electing Sarah Swan and Residents First snaring a seat for Luise Elsing.

However it is unclear if the third seat will go to the Liberals’ Dixie Coulton or The Greens’ Nicola Grieve.

In Waverley the vote count still indicates a return to status quo of five Liberal councillors, four Labor and three Greens which will likely see a Labor mayor and Greens deputy return.

In Randwick there are still four undecided seats with voting coming down to the wire in Central, South and West wards.

Votes originally designated as informal may be counted if the voter intention is discernible according to a spokesman for the NSW Electoral Commission.

“Where an elector has voted both above and below the line on the councillor ballot paper and both sections are formal, the below the line section takes precedence,” the commission said.

“If the below the line section is informal, the above the line section will be considered if formal.”

EARLIER

Results for the fiercely contested Waverley and Woollahra council elections are coming in with some parties recording sizeable swings.

In Waverley so far the Liberals have gained a 4.3 per cent swing and The Greens 1.5 per cent.

However it is likely Labor will still control the balance of power.

It is likely Labor will hold four seats, The Greens three and Liberals five – the same distribution as under the previous administration which had a Labor mayor and Greens deputy.

While all five of the Liberals – Sally Betts, Tony Kay, Leon Goltsman, Angela Burrill and Will Nemesh -are experienced councillors, both Labor and The Greens are on track to welcome fresh blood.

Early figures show Tim Murray will be elected to Waverley council

Incumbent Labor councillors Paula Masselos and Steven Lewis will likely be joined by Tamarama Surf Club president Tim Murray and lawyer Michelle Gray.

Meanwhile veteran Greens councillors Elaine Keenan and Dominic WY Kanak are set to be joined by local identity Ludovico Fabiano.

Ludovic Fabiano who is well known thanks to his two beautiful border collies will also likely gain a seat.

Former mayor Ms Masselos cautiously welcomed the results.

“By all indications it does look favourable and on the figures at the moment it is looking like all our number ones have been elected,” Ms Masselos said.

“Early indications are that we have been successful but really it’s a matter of waiting for the electoral commission to declare.”

Ms Keenan, the previous deputy mayor, was elated with the early results.

“We have had a swing to the Greens in all three wards we contested so that is quite exciting for us,” Ms Keenan said.

“The Greens have had a swing towards us and I think it says a lot about what people are thinking towards climate change and also local issues.

“The voter turn out was very low. That’s quite disappointing and I think that was contributed to by the challenging restrictions put on the election by the state government.”

Ms Betts said she would be keeping a close eye on the postal votes as there was still a slim chance Labor’s Steven Lewis could be edged out if the Liberals pick up a third seat in Hunter Ward which would go to Dov Frazer.

She also drew attention to the strong results pulled in by the Liberals and the way the quota system allocates councillors to each ward.

“It basically means that the majority of people in Waverley by miles have voted for us but we don’t control the council,” Ms Betts said.

Meanwhile in Woollahra the independent candidates in Residents First have gained an impressive 10.5 per cent swing while the Liberals appear to have picked up a one per cent swing and the Greens have lost an 8.9 per cent swing.

Sarah Swan is set to join the Woollahra Liberals.

So far it appears Liberals will hold eight seats, Residents First will take five, the Greens one and there is still one seat too close to call.

Incumbent Liberal councillors Isabelle Shapiro, Susan Wynne, Mary-Lou Jarvis, Toni Zeltzer, Richard Shields and Peter Cavanagh will be joined by newcomer solicitor Sarah Swan and former councillor Sean Carmichael.

Experienced Residents First councillors Harriet Price, Luise Elsing, Mark Silcocks and Lucinda Regan are set to be joined by marketing guru Merrill Halkerston Witt.

Long term Greens councillor Matthew Robertson looks set to comfortably retain his seat but in Cooper ward it is not yet clear if fellow Green Nicola Grieve will get up or if Liberal Dixie Coulton will snare the seat.

Merrill Halkerston Witt will likely be the newest Residents First councillor

Former mayor Susan Wynne said while the Liberals would likely elect the mayor from among themselves, their track record proved their number one allegiance was to their constituents.

“There’s been a bit of misinformation about the Liberals holding power and asserting control,” Ms Wynne said.

“The community wants to know we’re working for them and the Liberals at Woollahra are certainly independent thinkers.

“The swing towards us is a wonderful reflection of the trust of the community and we are very grateful for that recognition and support.

“We are looking forward to continuing the good work and supporting the community as we balance the challenges of coming out of Covid with ensuring Woollahra stays that wonderful place we all love.”

Ms Price said she was grateful for the support for the Residents First candidates.

“Local government is about the community. Residents want community focused representation and do not see it as a place for the big parties,” Ms Price said.

“A swing of more than 10 per cent in our favour is powerful recognition of that. We intend to build upon this support in the new term.”

The race for Randwick is much closer with four seats still unclear based on the early results.

So far it appears Labor has gained a 5.1 per cent swing and will pick up five seats for candidates Dylan Parker, Marea Wilson, Kathy Neilson, Danny Said and Alexandra Luxford.

The Liberals have so far experienced a 3.7 per cent swing against them but are on track to secure three seats for Daniel Rosenfeld, Joanne McCafferty and Christie Hamilton.

The Greens gained impressive ground with a 6.5 per cent swing and two seats so far for Michael Olive and Rafaela Pandolfini.

Noel D’Souza is the only independent on track to secure a seat on Randwick council.