Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has seen many a (usually male) politician attempt to get rid of her, and yet has continually outlasted them all.
In certain cases, those same male politicians have resigned or been sacked from their positions. Especially in recent months with the Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry claiming many a Liberal party scalp.
But Moore may not survive the latest, underhanded attempt to oust her. Those who dislike the power she holds have had to step up their legislating-changing efforts — seemingly, challenging her via a fair democratic election is not straight-forward enough for outwitting Moore’s dogged determination and resilience.
Still, we sure hope Moore gives it a good hard shot regardless. And yesterday, she said her resolve to go for the job again in 2016 just got stronger — even though it was previously expected she would retire at the end of this term.
The latest attempt to get rid of Sydney’s Lord Mayor — who’s firmly won all three previous elections she’s contested for the position — comes via a bill introduced by the Shooters and Fishers Party, backed by the NSW Government, proposing changes to voting for the City of Sydney council that would make it mandatory for all businesses in the area to vote. Every vote cast by a business will have twice the power of a regular citizen. That’s two votes for one, just for being a business, instead of a person.
If the changes go through, it’s expect most of these businesses are likely to vote Liberal, putting an end to the current Council and its largely progressive, sustainable and climate friendly agenda (which has won it plenty of support among regular residents — the ones who still only get one vote).
This is democracy at work in NSW, where those arriving to appear in front of the ICAC has become a daily media circus in Sydney’s CBD, and where “money in actual paper bags” provide regular conversation starters from somewhat bemused, although still horrified, residents.
The fact the bill was introduced by the Shooters Party — which claims the changes will enable businesses to be better represented in the Sydney of City — must surely be the final insult. The all-bloke party fundamentally supports recreational hunting, which is not exactly a common pastime among residents living within the most population-dense area of the country.
Meanwhile, at a time when the Abbott Government appears to have little, if any, policies for addressing climate change, it’s a serious concern that Moore’s agenda on this front may not only come to an end, but be reversed.
When we officially launched Women’s Agenda just over two years ago, we were lucky to have Moore on hand to do the honours.
In was just days into her third term as Lord Mayor that she spoke, a time when she said the treatment of women in politics had reached its lowest point ever in her career and shortly after broadcaster Alan Jones had declared women like her were “destroying the joint”.
At the time, she was also preparing to leave NSW politics, after then Premier Barry O’Farrell introduced legislation restricting councillors from serving as state MPs. We know what has since become of our former premier.
During that morning tea Moore told us her determination only gets stronger when told others dismiss her agenda, thinking she won’t have the resilience or community power to get it through. “[Now they say] ‘if only we’d given her the grass for the park, then she would have gone away!’.”
Those involved in this latest attempt to remove Moore may regret the actions later on. As she said yesterday: “We will fight this. When they commit these bastard acts, it makes you want to fight harder.”
Let’s hope Moore gives the next council election a good go. And the people of Sydney can speak louder than the power being handed to business.