Muslim Vote to support candidates in NSW, Victorian elections
A pro-Palestine political movement that failed to win a seat at the May federal election has vowed to push on and support candidates for the upcoming Victorian and NSW state elections.
The Muslim Vote endorsed independent candidates in three Labor-held seats – Watson and Blaxland in western Sydney and Calwell in Melbourne's north-west.
Its greatest success was in Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke's seat of Watson, where independent Ziad Basyouny was the second-most popular candidate on a two-candidate preferred basis.
Burke, who was accused of 'vote buying' after holding pre-election mass citizenship ceremonies in Sydney's culturally diverse western suburbs, still comfortably won the seat, receiving 66 per cent of the vote after preferences were distributed.
In Education Minister Jason Clare's seat of Blaxland, Ahmed Ouf won 18.76 per cent of first preferences, but the Liberal candidate was second-preferred. In Calwell, Samim Moslih only garnered 6.85 per cent of first preferences.
Despite failing to win a seat, Muslim Vote convenor Sheikh Wesam Charkawi said the results were a 'significant step' that 'demonstrated the model works'.
In each seat, the independent campaign ate into both Labor and the Liberals' first preference vote distribution from the 2022 federal election.
'One form of success in the political arena is unseating the sitting minister. Another form is winning hearts and minds of the masses, setting the foundations for future challenges,' Charkawi said.
'We've had an avalanche of people reach out to us post-election, either to be candidates or to support our work ... The community isn't backing down. We all want to continue.'
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Privatisation shelved as premier fights to stay afloat
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Mr Rockliff's backflip comes as the Greens ramp up pressure on him to resign, saying they are ready to offer "confidence and supply" to Labor leader Dean Winter as premier. "Just because we don't see eye to eye on everything doesn't mean we can't work constructively for our state," Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said on Saturday. "Jeremy Rockliff could make sure there is no election by resigning. "But with the premier refusing to do so, it is incumbent on Dean Winter as opposition leader to engage with the Greens and the wider crossbench to prevent the state heading to the polls." Mr Winter has ruled out forming government in a deal with the Greens, without whom Labor doesn't have the numbers. The ongoing political fractures could send Tasmanians back to the polls for the fourth time in seven years, unless the Liberal party opts to remove Mr Rockliff and negotiate a new deal with crossbenchers. An election could be called on Tuesday. Despite feuding over the state's finances, Tasmania's proposed $715 million stadium looms as the biggest issue. The roofed Macquarie Point proposal is a condition of an AFL licence, with the state government responsible for delivery and cost and the Liberals support the stadium but recent polls suggest Tasmanians are not sold. Firebrand senator Jacqui Lambie, independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie and acclaimed author Richard Flanagan are among well-known Tasmanians who oppose the project. A retracted privatisation promise by Jeremy Rockliff has added pressure on the embattled Tasmanian premier to resign. Mr Rockliff has stopped prominent economist Saul Eslake from preparing a report on viable opportunities to sell government-owned businesses to support Tasmania's troubled finances. He promised legislation ensuring that any sales would require a two-thirds majority support in parliament. "There will be no privatisation. Nil," Mr Rockwell said. However, not everyone is convinced by his backtracking. "Frankly, Jeremy Rockliff saying that he won't be proceeding with privatisation cannot be believed and, even if it could, it doesn't go far enough," Unions Tasmania secretary Jessica Munday said. "The community ... will be rightly cynical about the timing of this announcement and the commitment underpinning it, given it comes as the premier is fighting for his political life." Mr Rockliff's backflip comes as the Greens ramp up pressure on him to resign, saying they are ready to offer "confidence and supply" to Labor leader Dean Winter as premier. "Just because we don't see eye to eye on everything doesn't mean we can't work constructively for our state," Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said on Saturday. "Jeremy Rockliff could make sure there is no election by resigning. "But with the premier refusing to do so, it is incumbent on Dean Winter as opposition leader to engage with the Greens and the wider crossbench to prevent the state heading to the polls." Mr Winter has ruled out forming government in a deal with the Greens, without whom Labor doesn't have the numbers. The ongoing political fractures could send Tasmanians back to the polls for the fourth time in seven years, unless the Liberal party opts to remove Mr Rockliff and negotiate a new deal with crossbenchers. An election could be called on Tuesday. Despite feuding over the state's finances, Tasmania's proposed $715 million stadium looms as the biggest issue. The roofed Macquarie Point proposal is a condition of an AFL licence, with the state government responsible for delivery and cost and the Liberals support the stadium but recent polls suggest Tasmanians are not sold. Firebrand senator Jacqui Lambie, independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie and acclaimed author Richard Flanagan are among well-known Tasmanians who oppose the project. A retracted privatisation promise by Jeremy Rockliff has added pressure on the embattled Tasmanian premier to resign. Mr Rockliff has stopped prominent economist Saul Eslake from preparing a report on viable opportunities to sell government-owned businesses to support Tasmania's troubled finances. He promised legislation ensuring that any sales would require a two-thirds majority support in parliament. "There will be no privatisation. Nil," Mr Rockwell said. However, not everyone is convinced by his backtracking. "Frankly, Jeremy Rockliff saying that he won't be proceeding with privatisation cannot be believed and, even if it could, it doesn't go far enough," Unions Tasmania secretary Jessica Munday said. "The community ... will be rightly cynical about the timing of this announcement and the commitment underpinning it, given it comes as the premier is fighting for his political life." Mr Rockliff's backflip comes as the Greens ramp up pressure on him to resign, saying they are ready to offer "confidence and supply" to Labor leader Dean Winter as premier. "Just because we don't see eye to eye on everything doesn't mean we can't work constructively for our state," Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said on Saturday. "Jeremy Rockliff could make sure there is no election by resigning. "But with the premier refusing to do so, it is incumbent on Dean Winter as opposition leader to engage with the Greens and the wider crossbench to prevent the state heading to the polls." Mr Winter has ruled out forming government in a deal with the Greens, without whom Labor doesn't have the numbers. The ongoing political fractures could send Tasmanians back to the polls for the fourth time in seven years, unless the Liberal party opts to remove Mr Rockliff and negotiate a new deal with crossbenchers. An election could be called on Tuesday. Despite feuding over the state's finances, Tasmania's proposed $715 million stadium looms as the biggest issue. The roofed Macquarie Point proposal is a condition of an AFL licence, with the state government responsible for delivery and cost and the Liberals support the stadium but recent polls suggest Tasmanians are not sold. Firebrand senator Jacqui Lambie, independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie and acclaimed author Richard Flanagan are among well-known Tasmanians who oppose the project. A retracted privatisation promise by Jeremy Rockliff has added pressure on the embattled Tasmanian premier to resign. Mr Rockliff has stopped prominent economist Saul Eslake from preparing a report on viable opportunities to sell government-owned businesses to support Tasmania's troubled finances. He promised legislation ensuring that any sales would require a two-thirds majority support in parliament. "There will be no privatisation. Nil," Mr Rockwell said. However, not everyone is convinced by his backtracking. "Frankly, Jeremy Rockliff saying that he won't be proceeding with privatisation cannot be believed and, even if it could, it doesn't go far enough," Unions Tasmania secretary Jessica Munday said. "The community ... will be rightly cynical about the timing of this announcement and the commitment underpinning it, given it comes as the premier is fighting for his political life." Mr Rockliff's backflip comes as the Greens ramp up pressure on him to resign, saying they are ready to offer "confidence and supply" to Labor leader Dean Winter as premier. 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The roofed Macquarie Point proposal is a condition of an AFL licence, with the state government responsible for delivery and cost and the Liberals support the stadium but recent polls suggest Tasmanians are not sold. Firebrand senator Jacqui Lambie, independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie and acclaimed author Richard Flanagan are among well-known Tasmanians who oppose the project.
Sky News AU
3 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Labor left with ‘no choice' but to force super tax after weak GDP figures in March, shadow treasurer Ted O'Brien declares
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Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Why this Melbourne mayor's got a big crush on Sydney
NR: It was an incredibly powerful speech made off-the-cuff, but we didn't recognise the significance at the time. We had been saying for some time to the prime minister that she should call Tony Abbott out on some of his behaviour in the chamber, and not just continue with her usual stoic, dignified approach. On that particular day Abbott was needling her. And when he made the indirect reference to her father, something inside her snapped, and she unleashed. Fitz: And when you were with her back in the prime ministerial office, did she recognise it as a Gettysburg speech? NR: No, we all thought it was an incredible, heartfelt speech in the chamber. But it was also just another day of rancorous debate during a pretty tough term of parliament. Julia was always like: 'What's next? Let's move on to the next thing.' And there wasn't even much of a bump in the press gallery on the day. It was only in subsequent days when the international media picked up on it and it circulated on YouTube that the whole thing exploded. Fitz: Which, for the record, is what happened at Gettysburg. People at the time liked it, but it was only when Lincoln's words circulated via The New York Times that the whole thing truly took off! NR: Well, T he New York Times was one of many media organisations that contacted us in the days after that speech, wanting comment and interviews. It was amazing how it struck a chord around the world. Fitz: All right, so here in Sydney, we've long said that the only good thing to come out of Melbourne is the Hume Highway – boom-tish – while truly nurturing a grudging respect for the Victorian capital, and we suspect you feel the same for us. Now you've broken cover, and said some very kind things about Sydney this week, noting that we're right up there with Melbourne as one of ' the two best cities in the world '. What brought this burst of warmth for us in Sydney? NR: I feel it. I've always felt it. If I couldn't live in Melbourne, there's only one other city I would truly love to live in, and that's Sydney. And I often think that in Australia, we don't appreciate the fact that we have these two unbelievably brilliant cities … side-by-side on the east coast. 'Sydney is the movie and Melbourne is the novel.' Fitz: I love that, I think, but what do you mean, exactly? NR: Sydney is very flashy, and it's got the world's most beautiful harbour. And people who live in Sydney are obsessed by how close they can get to that harbour and what view they have of it. Melbourne has a very interesting internal life as a city. We love our bookshops, festivals, our food, our theatres, and sports. We love having conversations with ourselves, about ourselves. In Sydney, you turn up in activewear to your Mum's funeral. In Melbourne, you wear a black puffer jacket to a job interview. Fitz: All right, you also said you admired Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, 'a legend who copped a bit over the years but was someone who deserves huge credit for her vision and determination'. What do you, as a new lord mayor of Melbourne, admire about our veteran lord mayor? NR: The first thing is her electoral success. The shelf life of politicians in this country seems to have gotten shorter and shorter. And there is Clover, who has totally bucked the trend winning election after election. This has allowed her to see through policy and projects which she has been a supporter of for a long time. Look at George Street, with the [light rail] and pedestrians – it's one of the best urban development projects in the world. When I was in Sydney recently, I was walking down George Street in the evening and seeing the thousands of people walking through the centre of Sydney. It's been totally transformative. Clover can take a lot of credit for that. Fitz: You were up here to see our Vivid festival, and said you had a lot to learn from it. What, particularly? NR: In Melbourne, we are looking for new ways to activate our city during the winter months. I love what Vivid has done through incredible light projections, installations, music performances, and speaking events to bring people into the city. We'll do it in a Melbourne way, but Vivid has given us some good ideas. Fitz: In Sydney, we're dealing with a housing crisis. How's your mob going on that front? NR: We do, too, though it's not as acute as Sydney's. Our median house prices are significantly lower than Sydney's, and we don't have the same geographic constraints that Sydney faces in terms of the development of new housing. But we do have huge population growth, which means we need to keep the new housing supply coming. My municipality, the City of Melbourne, was the fastest growing capital city in Australia in percentage terms last year. I'm a proud pro-development lord mayor, and a lot of that is happening in medium and high-rise residential towers. Loading Fitz: And I gather you credit Sydney for the way you do some of it? NR: Yes, when I was first elected a councillor a number of years ago, one of the first things I did was travel to Sydney, and – just like I did last week – spent a day meeting with people at the City of Sydney and in the NSW government. Getting under the bonnet and just saying, 'What's working here, guys? What can we learn from you?' One of the ideas I got from that first trip was around Clover Moore's 'Design Excellence Program'. I ripped off many of the features of that program, introducing into Melbourne things like design review panels for new development proposals, and the use of development bonuses to reward good architecture and design. Fitz: I know the answer, of course, but remind us what a design review panel is? NR: It's a group of outstanding architects, landscape architects and urban designers who can peer-review major projects when they're submitted to the city and provide feedback on the quality of the architecture and design. We are looking for buildings that give more back to the street and the city than they take. Melbourne has a distinct design identity that is highly regarded, and the panel has proven its value by ensuring major projects use materials and concepts that represent our city and tell a story about Melbourne. Fitz: You've got my vote! And what is a 'development bonus'? NR: If they get it right, you allow them to build more on the site than they otherwise would have been able to. Fitz: I also see you're credited with introducing measures like 'forcing graffiti taggers to fund clean-ups'. What does that mean? NR: While we're famous for our street art, tagging and vandalism has been a big problem in Melbourne and so we've made a huge effort to clean up the city – including making offenders accountable for their crimes. Our 'you spray, you pay' policy means our lawyers put in victim impact statements on behalf of the community and seek orders from the court to make vandals pay or clean up their own mess. We also have new cleaning vehicles, 24/7 Clean Teams, on the street. And we introduced new targets for the removal of tagging and graffiti. Any racist, antisemitic or offensive material will be removed within an hour of it being reported.
