The Moore things change: Sydney lord mayor’s reign continues

In 45 years of contesting elections, Clover Moore has never lost one – or even looked like losing one. That was true again on Saturday.

By 8pm it was clear that while Moore’s vote was going backwards, it was still high enough to ensure she would retain the job she has held – without being seriously challenged – for the past 20 years.

Clover Moore celebrates another term as Sydney lord mayor at her election party at the ArtHouse Hotel on Saturday night.Credit: Janie Barrett

With counting about to pause for the weekend, she was sitting just under 37 per cent of first preferences, a swing against her of about 6 percentage points. You couldn’t hope for much better when you’re seeking a sixth term.

No one seriously thought Moore would be in trouble. Even if there was a sense among some voters that two decades is a long time for anyone to be in power, there was no clear alternative who they could embrace with certainty and enthusiasm.

At its most simple, Moore offers dependable, progressive, independent leadership that is free of scandals and corruption. For most City of Sydney residents, that’s enough.

However, voters may test Moore – and check her power – by robbing her of the council majority she has enjoyed for 20 years. Early results on Saturday night showed the Greens and Labor polling well at council level.

It’s a wide field, with unknown preference flows, so the final makeup of the council likely won’t be clear for some time.

Rivals might be disappointed Moore’s mayoral vote has largely held up, but what they were really targeting were seats on council, so they may end up buoyed by the eventual result.

By the time Moore finishes her sixth term she will have run Town Hall for a quarter of a century. It’s an extraordinarily long innings in anyone’s book; some people will welcome the consistency, others will decry the longevity.

The challenge will be to make this term about new ideas, rather than legacy protection. The election campaign just gone, while uninspiring in some ways, did pull focus on the challenges inner Sydney faces – particularly people being priced out, and the dire state of some of our high streets.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, pictured prior to the local government elections.Credit: Wolter Peeters

Councils are limited in what they can do about these big-ticket items, but the City has money and power, and the next council – whoever is on it – ought to get as active as it can to try to fix things.

Another four years also gives Moore the opportunity to lock in a successor, something she has thus far shied away from doing. In recent interviews she has hinted the time might finally be coming.

When Moore does eventually leave office, the dynamic of the race will change dramatically; it will be on for one and all. Saturday’s results suggest even then, it won’t necessarily be easy for the major parties to take back the city.

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