Image: The ALP leads the Randwick City Council election at this stage. Photo: Creative Commons.
By EVA BAXTER
*The NSW Electoral Commission will not begin declaring candidates elected until December 20th.
The ALP leads the Randwick City Council election in every ward besides South ward, where Independent Noel D’Souza has most of the vote so far. Competition is tight in West ward, with the Greens and Our Local Community neck and neck for a seat.
City of Randwick Council has 15 councillors with three from each of five wards.
88,101 electors were enrolled, with 15 council seats up for grabs, three in each ward.
In 2017, the community voted 5 Labor, 4 Liberal, 3 Greens and 3 Independent.
In 2021, data suggests 5 Labor, 3 Liberal, 2 Greens and 1 Independent will gain seats. 4 unable to be predicted at this stage.
ABC’s Chief Elections Analyst finds the ALP ahead with 31% of votes across all wards. The Liberal Party is coming in just behind ALP with 27% of votes, The Greens at 21%, Independents 15%, Our Local Community 4% and the Arts Party 0.7%.
ALP has so far seen a positive swing since last election (+5.0), The Liberal Party a negative swing (-3.7), The Greens a positive swing (+6.4), Independents have so far seen a considerable negative swing (-12.1), Our Local Community a positive swing (+4.4) and the Arts Party a small positive swing (+0.7).
Central Ward
Labor Mayor Dylan Park looks set to retain his seat on council with Labor leading with 36% of the vote in this ward. Incumbent Liberal Daniel Rosenfield also looks safe with 27%. The Greens Kym Chapple and incumbent Independent Anthony Andrews are in the race for the final seat, at 16% and 18% respectively.
East Ward
Labor is in the lead at 31%, with Wilson Marea likely to be elected. Liberal and The Greens have accumulated a similar number of votes in this ward at this stage, at 28% and 27% respectively. Liberal candidate Joanne Mccafferty, and Greens candidate Michael Olive, hoping to push council to advocate for its role in setting development controls, look likely to get the two remaining seats
Independent has 9% of the vote and the Arts Party 3%.
North Ward
The Liberal’s are ahead in North Ward at 32%, with incumbent Christie Hamilton likely to be re-elected. ALP follows with 29% and incumbent Kathy Neilson predicted to win a seat. The Greens new face Rafaela Pandolfini is so far predicted to have the final seat, at 28% of the votes in this ward.
Independent Barbara Keely has 8% of the vote.
South Ward
Independents have taken the lead in South Ward, with incumbent Noel D’Souza predicted to be re-elected. Second on the Independents ticket is incumbent councillor Carlos Da Rocha, who may be re-elected. Independents have 37% of the vote, Labor 30%, Liberal 19% and Greens 12%.
Former Labor Mayor Danny Said is predicted to be elected, the rest remain undecided.
West Ward
The count is close in West Ward, with Labor just ahead at 27%, followed by the Liberal Party at 26% and Our Local Community and The Greens battling it out at 22%.
Only incumbent Labor councillor Alexandra Luxford is predicted to be re-elected in this ward at this stage.
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Predictions may change before elected councillors are announced on December 20.
