‘Rates, rubbish and roads, not radicals’: Sydney council candidates hit over international views

A new lobby group is targeting Greens candidates in key eastern and inner-city councils over their support of Palestinian causes, accusing them of focusing on international issues over local matters.

Ahead of the September 14 local council elections, Better Council, an association that government records show was incorporated in June, is recruiting volunteers to campaign against Greens candidates in Waverley, Woollahra, Randwick and Inner West councils.

Better Council is campaigning against Greens candidates in Sydney’s east and inner west, and Randwick Greens Mayor Philipa Veitch.Credit: Better Council/Peter Rae

The war in Israel and Gaza, which was sparked following Hamas’ October 7 attacks last year, has been a point of contention among councillors in Sydney, who have publicly discussed whether their local governments should be involved in the debate surrounding the conflict.

Over the past year, Greens councillors in Randwick, led by Greens Mayor Philipa Veitch, moved motions to support a ceasefire in Gaza and to fly the Palestinian flag over council chambers (before the motion was reversed).

Greens in the City of Sydney Council, where Veitch is not a councillor, led a successful motion for the council to consider scrapping contracts with Israeli businesses.

The group accuses Greens councillors in general of “prioritising issues in the Middle East and inciting anti-Jewish sentiment, instead of addressing local community needs”.

An organiser of the group, Sophia Calland, said Better Council was a “grassroots group of young professionals” who wanted local government officials to focus on local issues.

“We believe local councils should concentrate on essential community services like waste management, local infrastructure, and the environment. That’s what councils are there for – looking after the needs of their immediate communities.”

In posts in a Telegram group chat associated with Christian Zionist group Never Again is Now Australia, the group said it was attempting to find 400 volunteers to distribute 50,000 flyers in the lead-up to the local elections next Saturday.

Calland posted in the group that “pro-Palestinian groups have been setting up unregistered groups [so] we need to show that we do everything above board and in accordance with the law!”

A brochure distributed to Randwick residents last week asks “HOW WELL DO YOU REALLY KNOW THE GREENS?” on one side, while targeting Veitch on the other side.

Veitch did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.

“Randwick residents deserve councillors focuses on rates, rubbish and roads, not radicals!” the brochure reads.

Freya Leach, an organiser with Never Again is Now, said while there was no formal connection between the groups, she would be campaigning with the group on election day.

“Never Again is Now believes in ordinary Australians taking action to fight against antisemitism, so we’ve promoted this campaign among our members as a way of taking concrete action.

“Benjamin Netanyahu does not care about what your local council thinks about his war against Hamas.”

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