Israel-Palestine dominates NSW council elections as Moore returns for final hurrah
Clover Moore has hinted that her almost-certain sixth term will be her last as the Greens struggled in the inner city and Labor’s disconnect with Muslim voters about Gaza continued.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has hinted that her almost-certain sixth term will be her last after claiming victory in the battle for Town Hall as the Greens struggled in the inner city and Labor’s disconnect with Muslim voters prompted by its Gaza stance continued at a council level.
Divisive NSW local government elections were dominated in Sydney’s inner city by whether foreign policy, particularly the Israel-Hamas war, should or should not be a priority for councils.
Early results suggested that the Greens lost votes in inner-city Sydney, particularly its eastern suburbs, amid multiple “anti-Greens” campaigns, and failed to dislodge a Labor majority in the Inner West, which takes in Anthony Albanese’s seat of Grayndler.
Discontent among Muslim voters with Labor’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war seemed certain to strip the ALP of its majority on Canterbury-Bankstown Council, which takes in parts of the Blaxland and Watson electorates, both of which have been targeted by pro-Palestine campaigns before the next federal poll.
Speaking on Sunday after claiming victory, 78-year-old Ms Moore said she did not think there would be another “Clover election” and that she’d “pass the baton” to another independent to “continue our work”.
With about half of all votes counted, Ms Moore had secured about 37 per cent of first preferences, although with a swing of about five per cent against her. Election analyst Ben Raue predicted that her independent ticket had not done enough to return a majority on the 10-person council, even with the lord mayor’s deciding vote.
In Sydney’s east, “anti-Greens” campaigns appeared to have propelled swings against the party, with it set to lose a seat in Randwick, losing ground also in Waverley and Woollahra, early results suggested.
Anti-Greens campaign Better Council had volunteers at more than 45 booths during pre-poll and election day, and had campaigned heavily on a “keep council local” platform.
“Greens candidates were fixated on issues like Middle East politics,” Better Council organiser Sophie Calland said.
“They were more than happy to sow the seeds of community disharmony rather than focus on council services.”
In the Inner West, where the Greens had looked to dislodge Labor’s one-seat majority in the Prime Minister’s council, early results instead pointed to the ALP retaining, or even increasing, its majority thanks to swings toward the party in certain wards, even with the Liberals taking one of its seats.
The Greens had run their most Palestine-focused and wedge-driven campaign in the LGA but, early results suggested, Labor had picked up votes and another councillor in Balmain, and could gain a further seat from preference flows in another.
Although the Greens’ Palestine wedge may have backfired in the inner city, the party did pick up seats in Sydney’s outer suburbs, with Mr Raue predicting it to win its first councillors in Blacktown and Cumberland while increasing its presence in Parramatta, Bayside, the Northern Beaches and Wollongong, although it appeared to be walking towards a total wipeout in Shoalhaven.
In Canterbury-Bankstown, early results suggested Labor mayor Bilal El-Hayek would not return with a majority at the 15-seat council, which encompasses swathes of Blaxland and Watson, two target seats for the multiple “Muslim votes” movements aiming to topple the ALP.
Mr El-Hayek has been one of Labor’s strongest Palestine voices – the council raised the Palestinian flag back in October – but there was a 10 per cent swing against the ALP in the Bankstown ward, which has a high proportion of Muslim voters, and Gaza had dominated the campaign and conversations with volunteers.
But Labor insiders said of more concern were results across the Hunter and wards within Anne Stanley’s seat of Werriwa, which – along with the Paterson and Hunter electorates – was more marginal.
“In Blaxland and Watson we have a bit of room to manoeuvre, but if I was Anne I’d be worried,” one Labor figure said.
Labor insiders said Fowler now looked near impossible to grapple back from Dai Le at the next federal election after the MP’s ally Frank Carbone appeared set to retain the Fairfield mayorship with almost 80 per cent of the vote.
“Our community supports those who support them,” Mr Carbone said, saying state and federal Labor governments had “neglected” the area.
The Liberals’ failure to lodge nomination papers for about 140 candidates saw the party disappear in previously blue-hued councils like the Northern Beaches and Penrith although it did gain a majority on Ryde council.
The bungle aided the newly-rebranded Libertarian Party, which was set to win spots on Penrith, Canterbury-Bankstown and Camden councils, and received the largest share of first preferences on Mid-Coast council.
Libertarian state MP John Ruddick said it was the party’s strongest ever set of results even with a small-scale campaign.
“We only ran about 30 candidates and around half could be elected,” he said.
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