The lord mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, has apologised to an Indigenous political opponent after a volunteer was accused of removing corflutes outside the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence in Redfern.
Yvonne Weldon posted a video recorded by one of her team members of a man who had allegedly taken down the corflutes to make way for Moore’s banners.
“It’s so disappointing,” Weldon, a Wiradjuri woman who grew up in Redfern, told Guardian Australia.
“We are an independent and community-led campaign. Our volunteers have worked so hard to get our message out.
“This type of behaviour is unacceptable and unfair, but unfortunately it’s what we have come to expect. It’s emblematic of why we need change.”
Weldon accused Moore’s team of shutting down other voices and said she would continue to put forward her “positive vision” for the city.
“When they go low,” she said.
In response to Weldon’s Instagram post, Moore apologised for the volunteer’s actions.
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“Sorry, this absolutely should not have happened,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’m told the volunteer was instructed to rectify and replace immediately.”
The Guardian contacted the NSW Electoral Commission but it said the matter was for police.
Australia’s longest-serving lord mayor is fighting to retain the keys to Sydney Town Hall, hoping to extend her 20 years in council.
Political analyst Ben Raue cautioned against putting too much stock in recent media toying with the idea Sydney’s next lord mayor would be anyone but Moore.
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The 78-year-old’s team had a history of winning slim majorities and again faced fractured opposition, he said.
The first council poll since the national housing crisis took hold will also test whether affordable dwelling arguments can succeed at the local level.
More than 50 candidates – including Moore – have taken a pledge with pro-development group Sydney YIMBY, which has won support from Liberal senator Andrew Bragg and senior state Labor ministers.
David Borger, who chairs a pro-development alliance that includes Sydney YIMBY, said it was outrageous that so many were lining up to block new homes “in the middle of the worst housing crisis we’ve ever seen”.
“We need to ensure Sydney councils make place for everyone, not just for those who already own property and want to keep others out,” he said.
Not every area is being forced to the ballot box, with rural residents in Cowra, Junee and Berrigan enjoying an election-free Saturday after the number of nominations matched or fell short of available seats.
