On September 21, Councillor Olly Arkins secured a unanimous vote to become the Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney, making history as the first openly transgender person to hold the second-highest position on the City of Sydney Council. Arkins steps into the role less than two years after her initial election to the council in 2024, embarking on a term running through September 30, 2027, alongside longtime Lord Mayor Clover Moore.
Breaking Ground in Australia’s Most Populous City
Arkins enters the deputy mayoral office following a five-year tenure as chief executive officer of the Australian Festival Association (AFA), a post she departed last month. Her election to the deputy mayor position on the City of Sydney Council represents a significant milestone for representation in Australian local government.
Reflecting on her journey to local government, Arkins pointed to the stark contrasts of living in New South Wales’ capital. In a statement provided to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, she noted that she ran for council having experienced Sydney at its best—fun, welcoming, diverse, and affordable—as well as its worst, marked by lockout laws, eye-watering rents, and policing policies that attempted to put music festivals out of business.
Legislative Victories and Festival Reforms
During her leadership at the AFA, Arkins spearheaded several major advocacy campaigns that reshaped the state's cultural environment. Her biggest achievement included lobbying to rewrite the Music Festivals Act in New South Wales, culminating in substantial legislative reforms passed by the state parliament in September 2024. Additional achievements during her AFA tenure involved urging the federal government to establish and expand Revive Live funding with targeted festival support, securing drug-checking services in both New South Wales and Victoria, and renegotiating the OneMusic licensing framework to secure improved terms for festival operators.
Her policy focus extends deeply into urban infrastructure and community welfare. As detailed by QNews, Arkins has championed the implementation of Special Entertainment Precincts to foster nightlife and live performance, advocated for affordable housing projects in areas like Waterloo, and pushed for modernized council services, including digital parking payment systems and stronger scrutiny of council services outsourced to private contractors.
Expanding Representation and Cultural Priorities
Beyond her administrative duties, Arkins maintains active leadership roles across municipal committees. She serves as deputy chair of the cultural, creative, and nightlife committee, co-chair of the creative and nightlife advisory panel, and holds a board seat with Local Government New South Wales. Her recent council initiatives include establishing a new LGBTQIA+ services hub in King’s Cross, extending public library operating hours during exam times for students, and successfully moving a council motion recognizing the economic and cultural contributions of LGBTQIA+-owned and inclusive businesses.
As she assumes her new responsibilities alongside Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Arkins intends to keep community heritage at the center of municipal planning. Emphasizing the city’s future trajectory, she stated that Sydney can successfully claim its place as a global city while prioritizing First Nations culture at the forefront of policy decisions.
Looking Ahead for Sydney’s Nightlife and Housing
With her transition from festival advocacy to municipal leadership, Arkins aims to address the systemic cost-of-living and housing pressures facing everyday Sydneysiders.
