Issue - decisions

Original motion moved by Councillor Weldon, seconded by Councillor Ellsmore.

It is resolved that:

(A)        Council note:

(i)           Australia is an independent sovereign and democratic nation;

(ii)         imperial honours, titles and awards have been abolished at both the national and state levels;

(iii)        as the level of government closest to the people, local government should be the least formal and most accessible of the three levels of government;

(iv)        the titles Lord Mayor and Right Honourable Lord Mayor have no basis in Australian law and are titles granted by the British Monarch more than a century ago;

(v)         the styles and titles of Lord Mayor and Right Honourable Lord Mayor are not consistent with the contemporary, multicultural egalitarian values of our local community; and

(vi)        the ongoing review of the City of Sydney’s symbols and emblems for anachronistic and or cultural inappropriateness;

(vii)      Notwithstanding the above:

(a)         the title of Lord Mayor does not come with any additional powers or advantages, except for the recognition it brings to the reputation of the Council;

(b)         all capital cities in Australia, as well as Wollongong, Parramatta and Newcastle in NSW, have a Lord Mayor, a title which recognises these cities as prominent areas for their culture, history and geography;

(c)         all Lord Mayors directly elected by their constituents, except for the Lord Mayor of Parramatta, who is elected by the City of Parramatta's Councillors every two years;

(d)         Lord Mayors of capital cities are also members of the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors, which has been working for over 50 years to provide national leadership and a strong voice to advance the interests of our cities; and

(e)         the Lord Mayoral robes have not been worn since the early 1990s and the Lord Mayoral Chains, Collar and Deputy Lord Mayor’s collar have not been worn since 2019;

(viii)     changing the title of the Lord Mayor of Sydney to the Mayor of Sydney requires Parliament to amend the City of Sydney Act and given the numerous other matters where the City of Sydney is seeking cooperation with and action from the NSW Government, there is little practical benefit to City of Sydney residents from seeking such an amendment;

(ix)        given the widespread use of the term “Lord Mayor” by Australian cities, any change should be done in consultation with those cities and not unilaterally;

(x)         the review of symbols and emblems is underway, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experts being invited, by an expressions of interest process, to review the emblems and symbols in the Sydney Town Hall, as well as research into local and international examples of truth-telling projects in heritage buildings;

(xi)        this work will contribute to an interpretation plan and strategy for consideration by Council; and

(xii)      the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel will be briefed at each stage of the development of this plan and strategy; and

(B)        the Chief Executive Officer be requested to report progress on the symbols and emblems review during the current term of Council.

The substantive motion was carried the following show of hands –

Ayes (8)          The Chair (the Lord Mayor), Councillors Chan, Davis, Ellsmore, Gannon, Kok, Scott and Worling

Noes (2)          Councillor Jarrett* and Weldon.

Amended motion carried.

*Note – Councillor Jarrett abstained from voting on this matter. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 10.4 of the Code of Meeting Practice, Councillor Jarrett is taken to have voted against the motion.

X086653