Greens decide Marrickville candidate

The NSW Greens have chosen Marrickville’s Deputy Mayor Fiona Byrne to stand as the party’s candidate for the state seat of Marrickville.

Byrne beat Greens MLC Sylvia Hale in a preselection vote of 14 to 13.

Hale had previously announced her intention to retire from the Legislative Council at the next state election.

The current member for Marrickville, Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt, held on to the seat by a margin of 7.5 percent at the last election.

As the Greens candidate at the 2007 election, Byrne achieved a 4 percent swing against Tebbutt who succeeded Labor’s Andrew Refshauge at a byelection in 2005.

Greens councillors already outnumber Labor councillors on Marrickville Council and were only kept out of the mayor’s office by a deal between ALP and Independent councillors in 2008.

Former Marrickville mayor Sam Byrne is the Greens candidate in the federal seat of Grayndler, standing against incumbent MP Anthony Albanese.

The Greens are yet to select a candidate for the state seat of Balmain.