Pink politics dominating mayoral race
It may be black and blue ink which determines the outcome of Saturday’s election, but it was the colour pink that dominated the campaigning process for the various mayoral candidates this year.
Never before have we seen a pack of politicians clambering so hard to win the gay vote, as candidates laid out their gay and lesbian credentials early in the game, with the Independents, Labor, Greens and Liberals alike declaring their various links to the community -” 78er, advocate and member alike -” before offering up a suite of solutions to the problem of violence on Oxford St.
Desires to re-invigorate business along the strip were given mention, but it was the issue of safety which most captured the candidates’ hearts, as each announced their plans to solve the problem.
Clover Moore put her name behind the suggestion that we declare official homophobia-free zones, as did Chris Harris of the Greens before his second running mate Irene Doutney pointed out the possibility of ghettoisation. The idea was immediately discounted by Labor’s Meredith Burgmann who called for specific GLBT requirements to be outlined in DA approvals, and was vehemently objected to by the Liberal’s Shayne Mallard who took the ultimate far right approach.
The evils of alcohol were time and again espoused by all as everyone called for an end to the drinking barn culture through any measures available. The Greens put forward a motion to employ more compliance staff while Burgmann called for more police and Clover put her faith in the power of culture to civilise.
Irrespective of the logistical nightmares some of the suggestions might cause, it was at the very least gratifying to see the concerns of the community openly discussed and expounded upon in the lead up to the election though it is yet to be seen how long it continues past the 13 September deadline.
Labor -“ Meredith Burgmann As the only mayoral candidate not currently serving on council, Labor’s Meredith Burgmann is relying on her 16-year record as a State MP to win voter trust. Burgmann, who marched in the ’78 Mardi Gras, has denounced Clover Moore’s homophobia-free zoning idea as a useless act of symbolism, pushing instead for the implementation of strict anti-homophobia conditions in council development applications. Such conditions would be enforced by a mixture of city guardians and an increased police presence -” which Burgmann has pledged to provide increased council funding for.
Greens -“ Chris Harris Greens councillor Chris Harris has weighed in strongly on the debate to reduce homophobic violence. In the final sitting of council Harris called for an increase in the number of compliance staff and City Rangers to police bars and enforce service of alcohol regulations. Ideas like the anti-homophobia zones are good, but they’re not actually going to stop the violence, and CCTV doesn’t really do much once an act of violence has been committed, Harris said.
Liberal -“ Shayne Mallard Liberal Shayne Mallard is the only gay candidate seeking the mayoralty. He has encouraged a hardline, no-tolerance policy towards homophobia and advocates for the reinvigoration of the inner west. He has called for the implementation of a city guardian scheme, whereby 100 privately contracted security guards would be hired, at the cost of $10 million to roam the city, targeting homophobic violence. Mallard has also been one of the most vocal supporters of the Imperial Hotel in its bid to increase its numbers.
Independents -“ Clover Moore Moore is seeking a second term as mayor and is using her 20 years of support for gay and lesbian issues as an election platform. At the end of her four-year reign, Oxford St is struggling and violence has been escalating, yet Moore is confident her Oxford St Cultural Quarter strategy will reinvigorate the gay and lesbian ghettos. Other strategies include the backing of a new operational strategy for the Metropolitan Regional Command, which would include the introduction of an officer in charge of developing relationships with the GLBT community.
Ben ..is that all you can say ..lol ..no defense of your beloved liberal party ,no comment on how well your mate Shayne Mallard went on Saturday..lol..yeah i guess it is hard to defend the indefensible . ps your last post was very Alexander Downer. ( just minus the fishnets )
sad sad catty queen –
Hey Ben ..I do have another word for you and other gay people who vote liberal..Collaborator!!! ( gee Shayne Mallard did well on Saturday didn’t he?..lol)
Accepting difference in my opinion does not extend to supporting a party that actively discriminates against people based on sexual prefrence and has treated us like second class citizens and harbours and promotes homophobes such as Peter ( you people are lucky you are not locked up in this country ) Costello , Sen. Bill ( no pooftas) Heffernan. Wilson ( iron bar) Tuckey…the list goes on..and on
Oh Chris – that Gay Liberals are just like Jewish Nazi’s comment again – can’t you think up a new line to vent your narrow minded, hate filled vomit against those of us in the gay community who may think in a different way to you…. The gay community is meant to be about accepting the difference in people – it’s a pity you can’t seem to bring yourself to that point!
Oh and Alex what has Tania Mihailuk done for the gay and lesbian community ( or her gay and lesbian constituents )????
..just one thing will do !
To continue the education of Alex and his comment ” Clover Who ??? She is totally irrelevant to me, and indeed anyone who lives in a different Local Government Area.
To me Tania Mihailuk rocks far than this Clover woman ever will ”
It was Clover Moore who in 1993 introduced into the NSW Parliament the first Anti – Discrimination ( homosexual vilification) amendment bill to outlaw anti – gay vilification , she also introduced the first bill to outlaw discrimination against transgender people in NSW and most recently has sought amendments to the adoption act to allow same sex people to adopt children.
These actions by Clover Moore have and continue to offer real protection for gay , lesbian and transgender people
in NSW no matter what local government area they live in.
Hang your head in shame Alex from East Hills!
Alex from East Hills ..if you don’t know who ‘Clover ‘is you obviously have no knowledge of of the Sydney gay and lesbian community its culture or its history…something I would not be wearing as a badge of honour Alex ..it just makes you look ignorant and stupid.
Um, just wondering!! Clover Who???
She is totally irrelevant to me, and indeed anyone who lives in a different Local Government Area.
To me Tania Mihailuk rocks far more than this Clover woman ever will.
Well it seems people weren’t over Clover!! Congratulations to the best friend and advocate the gay and lesbian community could have . Go Clover ..you rock !!!!
So Clover is in for another term. Things could be worse. Her strategy of turning every nature strip and undeveloped square metre of land into a gazetted park must have made it difficult for Labor to drum up support from developers, so that’s something.
But Clover please take a lesson from the travails of other governments – avoid the grand gestures, the years long consultation, and the empty promises to solve the same problem 3 different ways with the same bucket of money.
Do things. Practical things. And for god’s sake use your plannign powers to shut out and shut down the businesses that make our lives hell. DCM/UN was a fine start – but can you keep it up?
PS whatever happened to the sculpture for Harmony Park? – 2 years on from the community poll and still no sign of it.
I agree with Chris
It stands for “McAllister”- and a fine Scottish name it is too! There’s another journalist by the name of Andrew Potts and an actor- and somewhere, I believe, an entomologist, so I find throwing in the middle initial helps avoid any confusion. :P
I voted for Clover at the last council election, she let us down over the last 4 years. While the Greens are our friend that chances of them ataking the top job are slim. As for the ALP over the last year in state politics – no way !!! I will vote for Shayne Mallard, while he is a Liberal he has the strenght to stand up as an openly gay man in what some say is a homophobic party. Thats what we need in a Mayor.
I have nothing against Mr Mallard personally, Im just still fill of anger at how we were treated by the Liberal party – Has Mr Mallard ever spoken out against the Liberal party ?
After the way we were treated by the federal Liberal party in the last ten years there in NO way I could even consider to vote for Mr Mallard.
LOL Colin, you’d think Chris could at least update his gag to ‘a jew in a mosque’, eh? Personally, I think this election is about as interesting as my need to know where Brendan of Wollongong NSW lives or what Andrew M. Potts middle initial is. I don’t find any of the candidates’ arguments to vote for them compelling. Nor do I reckon them to be credible anyway. I voted for Ms. Moore years ago when she campaigned to ‘fight the developers.’ These days, I wake up to pneumatic drills on every side of my apartment. As for the referendum on wards, does anybody know wtf that is about? I am tempted to just write ‘couldn’t give a toss’ on my ballot form.
We’re over Clover and her pandering to us. I’m looking at the policies and for the GLBT community, remarkably, it is Mallard that has the best. And if I have read chris and his jewish nazi obsession one more time…
A gay person voting for the liberal party is the moral equivalent of a jewish person voting for the nazi party.
From some of the comments doing the rounds about the Sydney Council elections, I must have missed the momentous day when being attracted to other men became a job qualification. Being “truly gay” won’t magically elevate Mr Mallard’s ideas about city governance to some unparalled height of gay superiority and perfection.
Far more practical to look at the solutions all candidates are offering and make a rational decision (rather than jumping on a “queer is better” bandwagon).
ChrisM, I do wonder exactly which pressing issues — apparently uniquely “ours” — you believe the other candidates don’t understand but Mr Mallard does?
I like Clover Moore, I think she’s nice, that aside, I have noticed Oxford st becoming less and less familiar as time rolls on, and very little seems to be done about it.
I don’t know much about the other candidates, but I do like some of the ideas Shayne Mallard has come up with. Shayne’s sexuality also holds some weight with me, although, I have no doubt the other candidates are very sympathetic to our community, to be represented by a gay person, I would find more effective.
I can’t see how Burgmann, Moore and Harris can say they are the ones who gays should vote for, when they are not gay and don’t understand gay issues. I am voting for Shanye Mallard, the only true gay candidate who understands our issues.