NSW council elections 2024 LIVE updates: Clover Moore seeks to ...

Long lines to vote? An exceptional democracy sausage offering? Corflute vandalism? Let us know what is happening at your local polling booth – or any other tips about today’s election – using the form below.

Growing tensions over the Israel-Gaza war have spilled into local government politics, with numerous reports of vandalism on election signage of Inner West candidates. Labor and Greens party candidates have been affected.

Some of the signs were defaced within half an hour of being put up.

Inner West Labor Mayor Darcy Byrne’s vandalised corflutes in Annandale. Credit: Oscar Colman

The signage for Greens candidate Andrew Blake shows a red “Racist” sticker plastered below his face. Another sign shows the face of incumbent Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne spray painted over with red.

In June, Inner West councillor Dylan Griffiths in the Ashfield ward held a panel advocating for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (also known as the BDS movement)

Greens candidate Andrew Blake’s vandalised corflute. Credit: Oscar Colman

Griffiths said that ratepayer money has made councils complicit in the conflict, whilst others believe that the international scale of the conflict is not a relevant issue for local councils to tackle.

Byrne declined to comment on the incidents.

At Merrylands Public School, an inclusive sausage sizzle has halal and vegetarian options. But community divisions in the school’s local government area of Cumberland run deep.

Our Local Community’s Steve Christou, who is most known for the controversial book ban, says that his electorate is voting based on cost of living concerns.

Steve Christou at a polling place in Granville.Credit: Steven Siewert

He also says his constituents aren’t happy with the Labor majority.

“You have to understand your community,” he said.

When asked if the book ban would impact his votes, Christou said he did not think it would result in a decline in support.

“It’s the western suburbs; very conservative, very religious. A lot of people supported that view, and they’ll vote today.”

Labor’s Ola Hamed, the council’s deputy mayor until yesterday, said she is pushing for “less division” in Cumberland.

“I’ve been spat at...they don’t want LGTBQ in the community. I want everyone welcome,” she said of the Our Local Community group.

Moussa Alam, a resident living in the Granville ward, said Our Local Community (OLC) was where his vote went.

“I’m a Christian. I have naturally conservative political beliefs, and the OLC reflect my values and ideological beliefs,” he said.

“I appreciate that Steve could be engaging in highly controversial issues, but I like his world view such as faith, family and local facilities.”

Jaya Middleton, said he voted Labor for Ola Hamed because he cares about education, healthcare and his representatives not imposing their religious beliefs on him. He gave his reasons standing next to Christou.

“I know old mate here [points to Christou] wants to ban books, and that’s a breach of everyone’s liberties,” he said.

NSW Liberal head office has banned any party-branded corflutes, posters, T-shirts or hats from being used to help accidental Northern Beaches candidate Mandeep Singh.

Singh should have been a victim of the NSW Liberals’ council nominations fiasco. Instead, the Pittwater businessman’s own administrative mishap means he is the party’s sole candidate running for Northern Beaches Council in Saturday’s local government election.

Mandeep (Sunny) Singh, the sole Liberal candidate running for Northern Beaches Council, outside the pre-polling booth at Mona Vale Community Centre.Credit: Louise Kennerley

He made the rookie error of lodging his own nomination form to contest the local government election rather than waiting for the Liberal Party to do it on his behalf.

Singh is an ungrouped candidate, meaning he is technically running as an independent not a Liberal, despite all his campaign material labelling him “the Liberal Party member for Pittwater ward”.

However, a directive from the party’s HQ has been issued to members, asking them to ensure no Liberal “assets” be used to help support Singh on Saturday.

Singh is a Liberal member and was endorsed to run on the party’s ticket until the nominations debacle.

However, Liberal sources, who are unauthorised to speak to the media, said they had wanted to make sure the party did not fall foul of NSW Electoral Commission rules.

We are hearing about some very long lines to vote at central Sydney polling booths. These pictures, taken around 11am, show an hour-long queue for the booth at Sydney Masonic Centre.

Long voting lines at Sydney Masonic Centre on Goulburn Street. Credit: Sarah McPhee

A reader has written in to say that there were unusually long lines at Redfern Town Hall around midday.

Long lines at Redfern Town Hall at midday.

Are there long queues where you are? Let us know using our tip jar below.

Images are coming in from across the city with Sydney Morning Herald photographers posted at polling booths and sausage sizzles. Check out some of there latest pictures here.

City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore is confident of a record sixth term as Lord Mayor, saying she thinks voters will still back her at the polls, but adding “you can never tell on election day”.

The independent mayor of 20 years, ever the unconventional politician, chose to pre-poll earlier this week, missing out on her chance for the standard election day shot of her at the ballot box casting her vote.

Clover Moore, speaking from Surry Hills, said she hasn’t heard any “fresh ideas” from opposing candidates.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

Speaking from a press conference at the Surry Hills Library, Moore said she hopes for a majority on council, and a “consensus” view, but is ready to negotiate with her rivals if she fails to win a majority.

Moore said “the interesting thing about the councils that I’ve led” is that “when we’ve been doing any of our policy work in the city, the votes overall have been unanimous”.

“We’ve had a lot of candidates, and I’ve been listening for the fresh ideas, and quite frankly, there haven’t been any,” she said, adding “I think the progressive ideas come from our team”.

If re-elected, Moore plans to continue the City of Sydney’s greening program, achieve its affordable housing targets and continue the transformation of Chinatown and Oxford Street.

Heading to the polls and haven’t made up your mind? Here’s what your candidates have to say about what they would do in office.

The Sydney Morning Herald attempted to contact all 1635 candidates in Sydney’s 34 councils to survey them on housing, development, rubbish collection, government accountability, and local traffic.

In Greater Sydney, where local councils stretch from the Central Coast to Wollondilly, 33 political groups are running candidates (independents are counted as a single group). In all, 523 potential councillors – representing 27 of those parties and almost a third of all candidates – responded to the survey.

Anthony Segaert, Nigel Gladstone, Kathleen Adele and Cindy Yin sifted through the responses and crunched the data from the survey and you can see the full results here.

But if you’re pressed for time and just want the details for your council, click on the map below.

Long lines to vote? An exceptional democracy sausage offering? Corflute vandalism? Let us know what is happening at your local polling booth – or any other tips about today’s election – using the form below.