Sue Bolton
Sue Bolton | |
|---|---|
| Assumed office 16 February 2019 | |
| Councillor for the City of Moreland | |
| Assumed office 27 October 2012 | |
| Ward | North-East |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Queensland |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Socialist Alliance |
| Other political affiliations | Victorian Socialists (2018-2020) ACT Greens (in 1990) |
| Residence | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation | Councillor (Moreland City Council) Bus Driver |
| Profession | Politician |
| Known for | Change the Date campaign Activism |
| Website | www |
Sue Bolton is an Australian politician and prominent socialist activist. She is a Socialist Alliance councillor for the City of Moreland and was the President of the Victorian Socialists electoral alliance between 2018 and 2020.[1] She is known for her activism in anti-racism and for the Change the Date campaign.
Biography[edit]
Bolton was born in Queensland, where she initially worked as a bus driver.[2]
In 2016, Bolton organised an anti-racism rally in Coburg, Victoria in protest of "vilification of Muslim and African communities" which was attended by 400-500 people.[3] Most recently, she spear-headed several protests in her local area against Israeli military intervention in the Gaza strip in 2023.
Political career[edit]
Early career[edit]
In 1990, Bolton contested the seat of Fraser in the ACT for the Australian Greens, where she received 4.0% of the vote.[4] This was due to the involvement of the Democratic Socialist Perspective (the precursor to the Socialist Alliance) within the Greens, before the party banned members of other parties in 1991.[5] In 1993, she re-contested the seat without party affiliation and received 2.24% of the vote.[4]
Local government (2012–present)[edit]
In her first campaign for local government in 2008, Bolton attempted to run in the South ward of the City of Moreland, where she only received 4.95% of the vote and failed to get elected.[6] At the next council elections, she ran in the North-East ward, where she was elected with 9.5% of the vote.[6] In 2016, she was re-elected with a greater vote margin.[6] As of 2019, Bolton is one of only three councillors elected as socialists in Australia, with the others being Sam Wainright of Fremantle City Council and Stephen Jolly of Yarra City Council.
In 2017, Bolton voted in favour of removing references to Australia Day during local council citizenship ceremonies.[7] She justified this change by saying it was similar to "celebrating the Nazi Holocaust".[8] Her comparison was described by the federal Turnbull government as "deeply offensive to all Australians".[9][10][11] Far-right groups United Patriots Front and Patriot Blue protested the decision by storming the council.[12]
| City of Moreland North-East Ward[6] | |||||
| Election year | Total votes | % | ±% | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 (South Ward) |
834 | 4.95 |  4.95
|
0 / 3
| |
| 2012 | 2,051 | 9.50 | 4.55
|
1 / 3
| |
| 2016 | 3,249 | 13.03 | 3.53
|
1 / 4
| |
State and Federal campaigns (2018–present)[edit]
During the 2018 Victorian state election, Sue Bolton ran with the Victorian Socialists electoral alliance as the second leading candidate for their campaign in the Northern Metropolitan Region.[13] The ticket achieved 4.19% of the vote, the largest vote of the microparties.[14] However, the ticket did not elect any members.
Bolton ran in the 2019 Australian federal election for the Victorian Socialists in the electorate of Wills.[2] Bolton and the other members of Socialist alliance left the Victorian Socialists in May 2020. She ran as a Socialist Alliance candidate in the 2022 Victorian State election for the District of Pascoe Vale scoring 4.19%. The Victorian Socialist candidate for the same seat Madeleine Hah obtained 5.53%.[15]
References[edit]
- ↑ Council, Moreland City. "Cr Sue Bolton - North-East Ward". Moreland City Council. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.facebook.com/events/291847901498450/
- ↑ Bolton, Sue (1 June 2016). "Why we went ahead with the Coburg rally: organiser Sue Bolton". The Age. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Carr, Adam. "Psephos - Adam Carr's Election Archive". psephos.adam-carr.net. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ↑ MacDonald, Lisa. "Green politics at an impasse | Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal". links.org.au. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Moreland City Council profile". Victorian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ↑ Roberts, Rachael (15 September 2017). "Australia Day celebrations cancelled after politician says 'it's like celebrating the Nazi Holocaust'". The Independent. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ↑ Prytz, Anna (14 September 2017). "'Like celebrating the Nazi Holocaust': Backlash as Moreland City Council dumps Australia Day". The Age. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ↑ "Comparing Australia Day to Holocaust 'offensive', Federal Government says". ABC News. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ↑ Fox Koob, Simone. "Jewish leaders condemn 'insulting' Australia Day holocaust analogy". The Australian. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ↑ Bolt, Andrew. "Left's self-loathing is playing with fire". Herald Sun. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ↑ Price, Susan (30 September 2017). "Neo nazi group invades Moreland Council meeting". Green Left Weekly. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ↑ Mitchell, Ivan; Lopez, Daniel (9 August 2018). "The Immodest Victorian Socialists". Jacobin. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ↑ "State Election 2018: Northern Metropolitan Region results summary". Victorian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ↑ "State Election 2022: Pascoe Vale District results"https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/results/state-election-results/2022-state-election-results/results-by-district/pascoe-vale-district-results, Retrieved 21 November 2023.
External links[edit]
This article "Sue Bolton" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Sue Bolton. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
