02-06-2025
Nothing to resent here: Lord mayor sends praise in an unexpected direction
One immutable fundamental of federal relations underpinning the Commonwealth of Australia, state-on-state rivalry, was upended recently when Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece undertook a whistlestop tour of Sydney – and commented favourably on the experience.
'Sydney and Melbourne are the two best cities in the world!' Reece said glowingly of the northern metropolis in a LinkedIn post (but not in an official media release, as far as we could tell). Talk about undermining 124 years of slow-burn resentment towards the Harbour City nurtured by Melbourne since Federation.
During his 36-hour outing late last week, Reece also blew smoke in the direction of some of NSW's most prominent power players.
NSW Premier Chris Minns was 'a seriously smart guy … he also has an incredible knowledge of rugby league'. But Reece kept it real, musing that Minns might be lucky enough to score an invite to the AFL grand final, which, no surprises – is in Melbourne!
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore was a 'legend' who had 'copped a bit over the years' but was someone who deserves 'huge credit for her vision and determination'.
Reece also name-checked Business Sydney, and Crown Resorts chairman John Borghetti while all the while being sure to heap praise on Melbourne.
So when meeting hospitality dude Justin Hemmes, he was canny to point out that while he loved his tour of The Ivy in Sydney, Hemmes' Merivale Group was undertaking its biggest project (Parkade) … in Melbourne!
One fascination for CBD was how deftly Reece navigated his way through Sydney's crucial but often unspoken dress codes.
