Councillor Bilal El-Hayek has been re-elected as Mayor of the City of Canterbury Bankstown during the first Ordinary Meeting of Council tonight (Tuesday 15 October).

Mayor El-Hayek was elected unopposed by the new Councillors before a packed gallery of cheering family, friends and supporters.

He will serve alongside Councillor Karl Saleh OAM, who was elected Deputy Mayor.

In a heartfelt speech, Mayor El-Hayek thanked his wife, Maysa, and his four children who were present, and the community for their unwavering support.

“I am honoured and humbled to be re-elected to represent one of the largest Councils in Australia,” Mayor El-Hayek said.

“I intend to continue to build on the great work this Council has achieved, and I want people to be proud to live in our City.

“The next four years will be the most significant in our City’s history, with major growth and investment expected.”

Mayor El-Hayek said with the arrival of the new metro, the beginning of construction of the new Bankstown-Lidcombe hospital, the completion of the Canterbury Leisure and Aquatic Centre and the delivery of thousands of new homes, Council will play a significant role in ensuring the community’s best interests are served.

“We will continue to deliver our essential day to day services and maintain and invest in our parks, roads, libraries and community facilities while at the same time ensuring fiscal responsibility.”

Mayor El-Hayek added that while delivering for the community must be a priority, we must also have a heart and soul.

“If that means showing support, or speaking out for those who need a voice, whether it is speaking up for domestic violence victims, or raising funds for the homeless, or taking a stance and highlighting humanitarian concerns abroad, I will not resile from doing so.

Mayor El-Hayek was first elected to the merged Canterbury-Bankstown Council in 2017 and served twice as deputy Mayor before being elected as Mayor in May 2023.

Deputy Mayor Karl Saleh OAM has served as a Councillor since being elected in 2004. He previously served as Deputy Mayor on the former Canterbury Council for three terms.

Mayor El-Hayek congratulated the newly elected Councillors and imparted some words of advice.

“We must lead by example and respect each other’s views, even though we may not always agree with them. Constructive debate is healthy, disruptive behaviour is not acceptable and will be called out!”

The makeup of the new Council consists of eight Labor, three Liberals, one Community Voice of Australia, one Greens, one Our Local Community and one Independent. Nine of the councillors have been re-elected, while the remaining six are starting their first terms.

Canterbury-Bankstown’s newly elected Councillors are:

Bankstown (Darani)

• Clr Bilal El-Hayek
• Clr Khal Asfour
• Clr George Zakhia

Bass Hill (Burra)

• Clr Saud Abu-Samen
• Clr Chris Cahill
• Clr Rachelle Harika  

Canterbury (Budjar)

• Clr Conroy Blood
• Clr Barbara Coorey
• Clr Clare Raffan

Revesby (Bunya)

• Clr Wendy Lindsay
• Clr David Walsh
• Clr Jennifer Walther

Roselands (Bunmarra)

• Clr Karl Saleh OAM
• Clr Sherin Akther
• Clr Harry Stavrinos