18 March 2024
This month marks an anniversary that the Labor Party would rather forget. But the Liberal Party would also rather forget it.
To some extent, it was quite a case of “people power” taking on, and beating, the major political parties and the powerful interests backing them.
I refer to a time twenty years ago, in March 2004, when Clover Moore ran for Lord Mayor of Sydney City Council – and won. Since then, despite attempts by the major political parties to get rid of her, she has won every mayoral election held. And with local council elections taking place in New South Wales this year, unless she decides to retire, it might be a given that she will win again. In fact, she might remain Lord Mayor if she chooses.
Despite the passing of time, I still recall what happened back then. And I dare say that many people, especially in inner Sydney, also recall.
In 2004, Labor was governing NSW, with Bob Carr as Premier. Early that year, Labor opted to sack both Sydney City Council and another council next door, and merge them into one large council. At the time, many observers perceived Labor as doing the bidding of big business, especially property developers, who appeared hungry to knock down many buildings in central Sydney in particular and build much higher towers, from which they could make massive profits. The sacking of these councils was seen as a kind of “power grab” for central Sydney.
Moore was then an Independent MP. She saw what was happening, and she ended up throwing her hat in the ring when an election for the new council came. As well, she formed her own team of candidates for the council election.
This probably wasn’t out of pure hostility to Labor. Moore wasn’t exactly a popular person among Liberals either. Her entry into Parliament, at a State election in 1988, came when she defeated Liberal incumbent Michael Yabsley in the inner suburban seat of Bligh. With the Liberals taking power in NSW under Nick Greiner, Yabsley would’ve become a minister if he hadn’t lost Bligh. In 1992, with Moore and other Independents holding the balance of power in Parliament, they took Greiner down as Premier after he got caught up in a corruption scandal regarding former minister Terry Metherell. If he hadn’t resigned, the Independents could’ve taken the Liberals from power altogether. The Liberals eventually lost the next election, which took place in 1995, and didn’t return to power until 2011.
Although Moore remained a State MP for many years after Greiner’s downfall, she was then free to run for her local council at the same time if she chose. With Labor controversially sacking those councils in 2004, to the great anger of many residents and ratepayers in inner Sydney, she contested the election there – the rest we know.
As well as being elected Lord Mayor, she saw several candidates on her team win seats on the new council, increasing her power.
The result in 2004 was an almighty kick in the guts for Labor, as its tactic of sacking and merging councils, perceivably to benefit powerful business interests, backfired spectacularly. But the Liberals could hardly draw comfort from this. They probably would’ve won more seats on the new council if not for Moore’s presence. Moore won another election four years later, and a third election four years after that.
By then, Labor had comprehensively lost a State election to the Liberals, who looked like trying to go after Moore as well by the time of the 2012 local council elections, the first to be held since the Liberals won that State election.
After the Liberals took power in NSW, laws were passed to stop people from serving as both State MPs and local councillors or mayors simultaneously. The laws were perceived as an attempt to “get” Moore – regardless of any merit. Moore contested the 2012 Sydney City election and won, though it ended her career as a State MP.
But there was a slap in the face for the Liberals. Moore’s enforced departure from State Parliament triggered a by-election for her former seat. And a key supporter, Alex Greenwich, won that by-election. He remains in Parliament today.
As for Moore, she went on to win one mayoral election after another. The major political parties, no matter what they tried, couldn’t rid inner Sydney of her.
Some of her council allies fell out with her over time, but she remains popular.
I suspect that long-held perceptions of Labor, as well as the Liberals for that matter, being beholden to property developers and big business still appear strong among inner Sydney residents. Many even suggest, rightly or wrongly, that they perceive Labor and the Liberals as corrupt.
As long as such perceptions exist, Moore is seen as inner Sydney’s bulwark against Labor and the Liberals, plus those powerful interests backing them.
The next local council elections take place in September. And we might see, again, the power of this one woman who fought and defeated the major political players around this time time twenty years ago. She was, and still is, trouble for both major parties. They look stuck with her in Sydney City Council until she chooses to depart.
electiontragic 