Council meeting chaos: residents fury as NSW council passes 87% rate hike

Australian Community Media

Chaos erupted at North Sydney Council as councillors voted to apply for an 87% rate hike, sparking outrage from furious residents. Shouts of “sack them” filled the chambers as the controversial motion passed 7-3. Residents lined up for hours to slam the move, with some warning they would be forced to sell their homes. This video includes ACM-produced voiceover powered by AI.

Transcript

00:00When are we going to order?

00:02When are we going to order?

00:04As I said, as I said, it can be...

00:06I'm calling the gallery to order.

00:08Councillor Keene has the floor.

00:10A New South Wales council chambers descended

00:12into chaos as councillors pushed through

00:14a massive 87% rate hike,

00:16sparking outrage

00:18from furious residents.

00:20A businessman can't go and say,

00:22I'm going to double the price of my takeaway meal

00:24or my haircut.

00:26Hear, hear. Spot on, mate. Spot on.

00:28That's where we're sitting here.

00:30Carmen from Curability said,

00:32councillors deceptive at best and incompetent at worst

00:34for not disclosing this pile of state of finances

00:36leading up to last year's election.

00:38They should be sacked by the state government and administrations.

00:40To have no financial crisis,

00:42let me tell you,

00:44there is absolutely no financial crisis here.

00:48This North Sydney council

00:50is in surplus.

00:52How can it have a financial crisis?

00:54The only issue is...

00:56That is your three minutes.

00:58I haven't allowed anything else.

01:02That is your three minutes.

01:08Everybody else has had three minutes.

01:10Next speaker.

01:12Booze, jeers and shouts of

01:14sack them filled the room at North Sydney council

01:16as the controversial motion

01:18passed seven to three late on Monday night,

01:2010th of February.

01:22I share your frustration

01:24and anger.

01:26I call you to order.

01:28Which is a direct result

01:30of the poor decisions made by a former

01:32council.

01:38I am calling

01:40the gallery to order.

01:42All of the

01:44councillors have listened with respect

01:46to everyone who spoke and it's now

01:48your time to hear the reasoning

01:50of those who are making the decision.

01:52So I'm calling you to order.

01:54Councillor Berge, you have the floor.

02:00I'm going to put

02:02the motion. All those in favour.

02:04All those against.

02:14I'm calling you

02:16to order. We're moving now to the next

02:18item. Notice of motion.

02:20The hike

02:2245% in 2025-26

02:24and 29%

02:26in 2026-27

02:28follows a disastrous

02:30$122 million pool

02:32redevelopment. Residents lined up

02:34for hours to slam the move

02:36with some warning they would be forced to sell

02:38their homes. It's outrageous.

02:40I stand before you today

02:42to voice my strong opposition

02:44to the proposed

02:4687.5%

02:48cumulative rate increase.

02:50This drastic

02:52hike is both unreasonable

02:54and unjust and I

02:56urge the council to reconsider

02:58its approach. This council

03:00does not have an electoral

03:02mandate for such a rate

03:04rise.

03:06It totals $67

03:08million. Thank you. This is

03:10accurate. There can be no justification

03:12for a rate rise. The next speaker is

03:14Jamie Rodgers.

03:18Next speaker is Jamie

03:20Rodgers.

03:22Sorry, I'm having

03:24difficulty. I urge

03:26the council to vote against this resolution.

03:28Jamie Rodgers, you're next.

03:30And in conducting such

03:32a vote—

03:34Everybody else has had three minutes.

03:36Can I say—

03:40Mr Rodgers.

03:42Councillors interjecting.

03:44Mayor Zoe

03:46Baker clashed with the crowd,

03:48demanding respect. As locals

03:50accuse Council of financial mismanagement,

03:52the proposal now heads to NSW's

03:54independent pricing regulator

03:56for approval. With just

03:585% community support, the area's

04:00ratepayers now face a tough road ahead.

04:02One they never signed up for.

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