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When City of Sydney independent councillor Yvonne Weldon told her late mother she was contemplating joining the Labor Party, Aunty Ann Weldon’s response had been unequivocal.
“Get in there and make our voices heard,” Aunty Ann, a respected Aboriginal rights activist who died on Easter Sunday, had implored her daughter.
Weldon will announce on Wednesday she is joining Labor’s ranks, citing a desire to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians, and opening the door to a tilt at state or federal politics.
The Wiradjuri woman said Labor was “a natural fit”, and her decision to join the party had arisen from her own reflections after the failed referendum on an Indigenous Voice to parliament in 2023.
“I got involved with the council with a desire to improve outcomes for the most marginalised in our community, and I’ve worked pretty closely with the Labor team on council from the early days,” she said.
“The reason for joining the Labor Party now is really to help shape state and federal direction around how they respond to First Nations needs.”
Weldon became the City of Sydney’s first Aboriginal councillor when she was elected in 2021, when she also unsuccessfully tried to topple long-standing Lord Mayor Clover Moore from the top job.
Weldon said she was committed to serving on the local council, alongside current Labor councillors Zann Maxwell and Olly Arkins, until the next local government elections in 2028. However, she “wouldn’t hesitate to put my hand up” if an “opportunity presents to run for higher office”.
“I’m there to help shape policy as a rank-and-file member. If I were to be approached, it would be an honour to do so. But I want to make sure that policy is responsive to the people who need it most,” she said.
“Labor has their state and federal conferences in July, and if I can help with my input into policy, that’s where my passion lies, and likewise with my fellow City of Sydney councillors as well.”
The 55-year-old said she had contemplated joining the ALP for some time, and had “encouraging” conversations with senior Labor figures, including former federal frontbencher Linda Burney.
Weldon also said her mother, who established Redfern-based services including the NSW Aboriginal Legal Service and the Aboriginal Children’s Service, had also been a long-time Labor supporter.
“Labor was involved with key movements in this country around Aboriginal land rights and land title reconciliation, the apology to Stolen Generations, even [former prime minister] Paul Keating speaking in Redfern Park,” Weldon said.
Weldon has worked for non-government organisations and held various positions in local, state and federal governments across Indigenous health, housing, youth justice, heritage and child protection.
She said she was motivated to use that experience to help close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, particularly in health, education, employment and incarceration rates.
“It was about where I can make the biggest difference with the experience I have, particularly from a policy perspective. I’ve had some great outcomes on council and I also think there are great opportunities to be able to influence policy beyond it, too.”
Weldon said she shared common ground with the City of Sydney’s Labor councillors on issues such as housing affordability, creative and cultural reforms, and improving the council’s core services. She vowed to “work with them to hold the lord mayor’s team to account”.
On council, Weldon has been a critic of Moore’s proposed $150 million-plus Town Hall Square project.
She previously signalled her desire to run for lord mayor, but said she was now “not sure how that works” as a member of a political party. “I will work in solidarity with whatever Labor does,” she said.
Moore, who has long been subject to retirement speculation, was re-elected for a historic sixth term in 2024 as lord mayor despite a swing against her. Her team of progressive independents holds four spots on the 10-member council. There is also one Liberal and two Greens councillors.
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