Cumberland councillor Steve Christou exits party after they negotiated with Labor

·

In a significant political shake-up, Cumberland councillor Steve Christou has severed ties with the Our Local Community (OLC) party and intends to establish a breakaway group alongside a controversial Liverpool councillor who has previously faced fines for distributing Islamophobic flyers.

Last week, Christou announced his immediate resignation to OLC leader Paul Garrard, just over a month after being re-elected to the Granville ward. His departure comes two weeks following the election of his Labor rival, Ola Hamed, as mayor, a position secured with the support of the Liberals during a heated council meeting.

In a statement, Christou, who served as mayor from 2019 to 2021, expressed his disappointment regarding the OLC’s negotiations with Labor in an attempt to broker a deal related to the mayoralty ahead of the vote on October 16.

“I was never in favour of this arrangement and had made my feelings expressly clear that I would not vote for such an arrangement when voting for the mayor in council’s chamber,” he remarked.

In the wake of the election, Cr Hamed called for the council to move beyond the “toxicity” that characterised the previous term, while Liberal Cr Joseph Rahme justified his decision to support Labor, citing a significant decline in trust towards the OLC in the lead-up to the vote.

Christou’s discontent with the OLC’s alliance with Labor was evident as he stated, “For over five years and two council terms, I have worked very hard to turn the council seat of Granville from a safe Labor seat where two councillors should be getting elected into a marginal seat, ensuring the Labor Party is only able to have one councillor elected to the Granville ward.”

Source: The Daily Telegraph.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Hellenic spirit shines at the opening of the Odyssey Greek Festival 2025

The opening night of the 2025 Odyssey Greek Festival was a vibrant celebration of culture, memory, and community

Areti Ketime brings the spirit of rebetiko to Melbourne for the Zeibekiko Festival

The Zeibekiko Festival has returned for its third year this month with a lively Rebetika performance in Melbourne by singer Areti Ketime. 

Literary memorial in Sydney honours the legacy of esteemed scholar Dr George Kanarakis

A literary memorial in honour of Greek academic and internationally renowned linguist of Australia, Dr George Kanarakis, was held on Tuesday.

Memorial service to be held in Sydney to honour the life of Chris Felemegas

A memorial service will be held in Sydney on Sunday, October 12, to honour the life of Chris Felemegas, a figure remembered for his warmth.

Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Loverdos meets Archbishop Makarios in Sydney

Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Hellenism Abroad, Ioannis Loverdos, met with Archbishop Makarios of Australia on Tuesday.

You May Also Like

Multiple police injured in clashes with Greek island protesters as tear gas deployed

Riot police on the Greek island of Lesbos fired tear gas on Wednesday to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing protesters angry over the creation of a new detention centre for migrants, the latest bout of unrest over the matter.

Kefalonia Mayor: Some people just want to burn down our houses

"We are all on the streets and protecting our property," the mayor said in a statement.

EU leaders hit out at Turkey’s ‘provocations’ in the Med

European Union leaders on Friday criticized Turkey for ratcheting up tensions with Cyprus and Greece after Ankara sent a ship back into the east...