Lessons from the past still relevant for today

That venerable organisation, the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts, is presenting a free screening of the equally venerable 1996 documentary, Rats in the Ranks, as part of their Art of Government month.

The film follows the activities of the 12 councillors on Leichhardt Council in the lead up to the 1994 mayoral elections. Filmmakers Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson had almost unfettered access to the councillors and their private discussions. Widely acclaimed at the time, winning several awards, the film is still highly relevant today for its exploration of dealmaking and the not-always-pristine business of ‘getting the numbers’.

In 1994 Leichhardt Council was dominated by the ALP. There were four rank and file members of the ALP, one member of the Liberal Party, and seven independent councillors. Of these independents, most were ex-members of the ALP, including incumbent mayor Larry Hand, who was pitching for his fourth consecutive term.

The struggle by Cr Hand to get re-elected is the meat of the film. It is shot in a ‘fly on the wall’ manner in various fusty offices of Leichhardt Municipal Council, plus Norton Street’s array of cafés and bars. With four of the 12 councillors having nominated themselves for the position of mayor, the final scene is shot in a very crowded council chambers, where the vote does not go according to the ALP’s plan, giving rise to the title of the film.

Connolly and Anderson have said it was intentionally not a film about ideological or policy differences. “Local government politics in general tends to be less ideologically based than the other tiers of government. Councillors tend to vote according to their conscience on most issues, except those to do with leadership ballots like the mayoral election, when they are supposed to unite behind the party or faction leader. Most were ALP or ex-ALP. The mayoral election was primarily about suitability, not policy. [It was a question of]… who was most suited to the job. Larry had been there three years and was clearly the most popular with the electorate. The film explores the lead up and outcomes of the struggle.”

For former Leichhardt Mayor Máire Sheehan, the complicated negotiations and shifts of loyalty depicted in the film were and are very typical of politics, and not just at the local level. “There is always a lot of work involved in getting the numbers for votes and factions,” she said. “There is a lot of lobbying and clandestine meetings. What is unique about the film is it was an inside insight into all that. You would never see anything like that about Macquarie Street or Canberra!”

Rats in the Ranks will screen at Sydney Mechanics School of Arts at 6pm on Tuesday, March 30, at 280 Pitt Street. Enquiries 9262 7300 or visit www.sydneymsa.com.au

by Jeremy Brown