On 14 September, every registered resident and business owner will vote in the local government elections.
Candidate answers have been edited for space and clarity.
NORTHERN BEACHES COUNCIL
There are 266,000 residents on the Northern Beaches, and council has a $450 million budget. Characterised by much-loved surf beaches and natural beauty, development density, coastal management and lack of sufficient transport infrastructure have become major issues for the region.
CURL CURL WARD
Kristyn Glanville | Australian Greens
I’m passionate about protecting our local environment and promoting a sustainable and inclusive local community. As one of your current councillors, I am proud to have helped save local homelessness and domestic violence services from proposed budget cuts, opposed clearing of native bushland, pushed for stronger environmental compliance and protection of wildlife, and progressed action on local housing affordability. I work as a planning and environment lawyer and bring my professional experience to the council chambers to take a knowledgeable, collaborative and measured approach to policy and problem solving. If elected, I want to continue to push to protect our local bushland and environment, build affordable housing, and introduce new ways for people to reuse, repair and recycle. Council is facing a challenging budget environment, where significant assets are at risk of being sold off, and important services cut. The Greens support keeping these assets and services in public hands.
Joeline Hackman | Your Northern Beaches Independent Team (YNBIT)
I’m a business owner, charity founder and passionate community advocate. I help people navigate government red tape on a range of issues and connect them with opportunities to succeed. I’m driven to support and uplift others. We live in the best place in Australia, as declared in a recent survey. However, transport, traffic and parking diminish our quality of life and many of our facilities need to be upgraded, such as sports fields and beach side amenities. People also need relief from the cost of living crisis. Groceries are so expensive and housing affordability is putting a strain on families. My focus will be on addressing the housing crisis, environment, cost of living and supporting small business and infrastructure. I’ve noticed that there is a lot of waste on council and I’m looking to drive a business mindset to solve some of our local challenges. I’m a current member of council’s Environmental Strategic Reference Group.
Jasper Thatcher | ALP
My decision to run for council has been driven by the current cost of living crisis and a desire to see improved open spaces in the area. My focus will be on ensuring that council funding is spent where the community needs are greatest. In particular, the cost and availability of childcare. I believe a healthy community is a happy community. Improving outdoor green spaces, gyms and aquatic centres will be a central focus in ensuring the physical and mental health of the community. My experience as a young person who has grown up in the area has afforded me a unique perspective of how tough it is for young people on the Beaches, especially in terms of housing and public transport. Working on our iconic Manly ferries has given me a good understanding of what it takes to run safe and efficient public transport, and I believe this will help me on council in terms of infrastructure planning. I want to create a council that is financially sustainable, represents the community, delivers reliable cost-effective services, and plans for our young people’s futures. I will review the outsourcing of council work in a bid to reduce privatisation, as I’ve witnessed first-hand the increased costs and degradation of services associated with privatisation. I also have a passion project of improving Curl Curl lagoon as a green space for use and restoring it to its natural beauty by improving its water quality.
FRENCHS FOREST WARD
Sue Heins | Your Northern Beaches Independent Team
I am the current mayor and have been on this council and Warringah Council for 12 years (including three times as deputy mayor). I am passionate about our communities. We have such a diverse community and we need to ensure that we plan and act responsibly in our roles. There is still so much to be done. I bring the experience of local history from being involved with previous councils and know many of the issues that our areas face. My background involving local organisations, charities and board roles brings experience in governance and the ability to work collaboratively to achieve an outcome. We must plan for the future in a sensitive way and my ability to work strategically and collaboratively is a value that I bring. If elected, I will advocate for Frenchs Forest which will be impacted by the new town centre, keep protecting our beautiful environment and our flora and fauna. We have some large projects in train in council and want to ensure that a common sense approach is front of mind. I currently chair the Business Economic Stakeholder group, I co-chair the Bushfire Management Committee, member of the Safety Committee, Property Steering Committee and Nature for Northern Beaches Trust at Council. I have been on many committees over the years.
Ethan Hrnjak | Australian Greens
I’ve lived on the Northern Beaches all my life and believe our beautiful area deserves the strongest protections available. As we move deeper into the climate crisis, the importance of our natural environment cannot be understated. I have not been on council before, however, prior to nominating I was employed by council and served on the Northern Beaches Council Youth Advisory Group from 2020 to 2021. I’m currently undertaking my third year of environment and planning law at Macquarie University and am the co-secretary of the Greens NSW. I will bring a fresh, young voice to council and work with staff and fellow councillors to ensure our decisions recognise the diverse views and needs of our community. We’ve got a great Greens youth ticket in Frenchs Forest with all of us being under 23. There’s so much more council can do for residents and some of my policies include: improving environmental compliance and the upcoming local environment plan; giving residents opportunities to become more sustainable through community gardens; secondhand markets and native verge planting. I want to support our local arts and the Glen St Theatre, increase street-sweeping and road reserve maintenance and protect our bushland from inappropriate development.
Jody Williams | Your Northern Beaches Independent Team
I have not been on council before. But I am the great great grandson of Frederick Passau, the mayor of Manly from 1897 to 1899 – does that count? Progress is not a matter of just establishing a just system of government, but a continuing effort. I found myself faced with a decision in 2018, I realised that for things to change I had to decide to commit, so now I am putting my hand up. I have been a member of the P&Cs of both Forestville Public and Killarney Heights High School. I was the cub scout leader at 1st Forestville Scouts and a member of Forest Junior Rugby. I am a team leader and Level 1 incident controller for the Warringah-Pittwater SES. I’m 21 years sober and understand in a deeply personal way how the disease of addiction manifests in our community. Local council is the ultimate opportunity to express the ideals of ‘think globally, act locally.’ All of us make decisions daily that impact those around us and I want to be part of keeping the Northern Beaches the best place to live in Australia.
MANLY WARD
Candy Bingham | Good for Manly
The Northern Beaches Council has effectively completed the amalgamation process and now it’s time to focus on infrastructure and services. I have been a Northern Beaches councillor since its inception in 2016 (with four years as deputy mayor), and served one term on Manly Council. That’s 12 years of experience. Over the past eight years, I have gotten to know the staff and the processes and believe I can be effective in getting things done for the community. I am a third-generation Manlyite and am passionate about the area. Manly is the gateway to the Northern Beaches and a major tourist area. Having saved the iconic Manly ferries, the next step is to develop a fully-electric look-alike Manly ferry. Repurposing Manly Town Hall into an entertainment hub will revitilise Manly. The effects of climate change – coastal erosion, bushfires and flooding – have to be planned for. There is also a need for more flexible sports fields. Affordable housing is a priority as is supporting services for domestic violence, and mental health. I previously ran my own PR and marketing agency working for some of Australia’s leading companies, as well as government and charities. Community engagement and strategic partnerships are my speciality.
Sarah Grattan | Your Northern Beaches Independent Team
I’m an experienced councillor having served since 2017 and I know I make a difference. Whether that’s improving council’s strategies, systems, processes, critical decisions or helping our businesses, community groups and individuals deal with their pressing issues. I love living on the Beaches and I love our local community. I work as chief executive officer of Lifeline Northern Beaches. My focus is keeping the Northern Beaches as the best place to live. Importantly, by fostering our sense of community and belonging, including enhancing opportunities for connection, especially for our young people. I will continue to use my professional skills to provide oversight of council’s governance, financial sustainability and productivity. I’m keen to protect the services that our community loves and relies upon (libraries, childcare, cultural and creative events) and continue the focus on appropriate maintenance and upgrades of our community assets. Finally, I want to work on helping to address housing affordability through practical solutions to the current housing crisis.
Bonnie Harvey | Australian Greens
I’m passionate about nature conservation, public justice and community connection. I’ve studied politics and socio-legal studies at USYD since 2020 and run a small tutoring business. As your councillor, I would seek to protect public assets and promote responsible re-prioritisation within council’s budget (or lack thereof). I plan to advocate for more native greenery, recycling festivals and music. But that’s just the beginning! A vote for the Greens is a vote for leadership on pressing issues such as climate change, affordable housing and mental health. Let’s stay connected and build a more vibrant and sustainable Manly.
Brandt Clifford | ALP
I believe in the potential of our community and the positive impact we can make together. My wife Danica and I are deeply involved in the community. We have been members of the Manly Life Saving Club for the past nine years. As small business owners, I understand the role council plays in creating an environment for success. Council can also impact growth and productivity through the barriers of red tape, delays, and poor parking management. There is a tremendous opportunity to improve for the benefit of business and residents. I have diverse experience across private and public sectors, and community organisations that I can bring to the council to represent the people of Manly. I have been president of community sporting organisations, chaired accessibility transport forums, and have performed the role of treasurer of strata committees. I want to achieve reforms in the Manly parking permit process. This is overly complex, difficult to administer, and does not achieve the outcomes for residence. Currently our town centres and industrial areas look derelict as the costs of living and the costs of business continue to rise, and council is not agile enough to allow opportunities to be realised. Supporting small business in the community enhances the lives of all of us. I would like to expand on the work done by the existing council to further protect our environment. The environment is the thing that brings us all together here on the Beaches. It is our home, our playground, our tourist attraction, and our number one asset. Further protections in Cabbage Tree Bay, improved water and stormwater management at Manly Lagoon, and addressing microplastics will be my key achievements.
