Widespread displeasure with Ku-ring-gai Council is causing a wave of new candidates to put their hands up for the job.
With the Local Government Elections on the horizon, nominations are flooding in for the Gordon, Wahroonga and Comenarra Wards. A common hope is that with a newly elected Council, integrity and trust will be restored between the residents and their representatives.
Hot topics on the minds of Ku-ring-gai residents include Labor’s infamous Transport Oriented Development (TOD) policies, the long-awaited revival of Marian Street Theatre, and the building of a grandstand at the North Turramurra Recreation Area.
Among the candidates is Indu Balachandran, Killara local running for a spot as a Gordon Ward Councillor. With a background in professional finance and governance, and after becoming interested in the political landscape, Indu has decided to step up to the plate to see areas of concern tended to.
Her focuses as a potential councillor are planned development to tackle the housing crisis, investment in cultural hubs and creative spaces such as Marian Street Theatre, and action against climate change.
During the height of Ku-ring-gai Council’s TOD clash, Indu submitted an opinion piece to the Sydney Morning Herald from the perspective of a local, which was published at the end of June 2024. In the article, Indu stressed how the “politics of opposition” damages the community.
As a result, Indu received heat for the piece. Locals across social media began questioning both her integrity, and her affiliations with community organisation Voices of Bradfield and with the monikered “Teals”.
‘Voices of Bradfield is not a party; it is a community group that endorses an independent candidate. The Teals is not a political party, it didn’t exist before it was a media phrase,’ asserts Indu Balachandran. ‘Voices of Bradfield is focused on Federal politics… I joined Voices of Bradfield because I really felt… political candidates being endorsed by local community and representing community priorities was a fantastic movement.’
For Indu, her campaign and priorities lie with ensuring that the next elected Ku-ring-gai Council are hearing the concerns of the community, as she believes the uproar occurring around the TODs is a symptom of lacking community engagement.
‘Why is it that councillors are not acting on their community’s sense of what is possible?’ says Indu. ‘That is a big challenge, how does council engage its diverse constituency so that it can genuinely feel like it’s representing the whole? That is something I’ve observed and committed to.’
With under two months until the Local Government Elections, Indu reflects warmly on her campaign journey, and the growing number of volunteers who are pushing her along. On her team is Cheryl Szatow, former Gordon Ward councillor and Ku-ring-gai Mayor, Gillian King, co-founder of Voices of Bradfield, and Jessica Blaxland Ashby, Marian Street Theatre advocate.
‘It has been a wonderful, sticky campaign,’ praises Indu. ‘Nothing like local community finding out what local community cares about. It’s been a really great process. Our community is considered and thoughtful, I’ve had great conversations with people.’
