Special local government edition | We profile every ticket | The inside story from Council
September 2024 Issue 28
News and views for North Sydney’s residential and business communities
www.northsydneysun.com.au
Yes, in my backyard. Local young Campaigning heats up for September 14 Council election residents seek a voice on housing By Grahame Lynch Campaigns are intensifying for the North Sydney Council election, with pre-polling beginning on 7 September and the main event taking place on 14 September. Approximately 50,000 residents and property owners are eligible to participate. The North Sydney Council local government area is divided into two wards: St Leonards, covering the north and west of the electorate, and Cammeraygal, covering the south and east. As widely reported, the Liberals failed to submit their nominations on time for the St Leonards ward and are only contesting the Cammeraygal ward. Just four tickets are contesting the five councillor positions in St Leonards: the ruling Real Independents, Labor, the Sustainable Australia Party, and independent James Spenceley. The main point of interest here is which ticket will poll the most votes, earning a second councillor position. The Cammeraygal ward is more competitive, with seven tickets vying for the five councillor positions. Incumbents The Real Independents, Labor, Team Jilly (with a new head, Pallavi Sinha), Community 1st (also with a new head, Peter Noble), and the Sustainable Australia Party will compete against newcomers, the Greens and the Liberals. Zoe Baker of the Real Independents
has indicated she will stand for mayor again if returned. North Sydney Council no longer elects a mayor directly; instead, the ten elected councillors will vote among themselves to elect a mayor and a deputy mayor at their first meeting. The outgoing council was characterised by a consistent voting pattern where the two Real Independent, two Labor, and two Sustainable Australia Party councillors generally agreed on over 90% of contested votes. This led to Zoe Baker being elected mayor with a 6-4 majority. The deputy mayor position alternated between Labor’s Godfrey Santer and the SAP’s William Bourke during the term. This six-vote pattern broke down in recent months, with Bourke dissenting on an increasing number of motions. However, with the use of her mayoral casting vote, Baker was still able to prevail in occasional 5-5 stalemates. With the Liberals failing to nominate in the St Leonards ward, the Real Independents and Labor are confident they will again prevail overall and have sufficient numbers to maintain their dominant influence after the election. Pre-polling begins on Saturday, 7 September, pauses on Sunday, and then continues through the week leading up to the 14 September election day. >>p2
Residents Chantal Reid and David Lee lament the cost of local housing By Hannah Wilcox Young people are increasingly frustrated as the prospect of owning a home in the area where they grew up or wish to live and work becomes increasingly out of reach. This widespread concern has led to the formation of YIMBY, a grassroots advocacy group campaigning for greater housing availability in Sydney. While the group has achieved notable success in Sydney's Inner West, its message is also gaining traction in North Sydney. This momentum is driven by frustration with local politics that, despite expressing support for more affordable housing, consistently rejects specific development applications that would boost supply. The council also oversees the second-slowest DA process in Greater Sydney. The North Sydney Sun sat down with four local residents who ConƟnued page 4
ST LEONARDS WARD