Byron Shire Greens Mayor, Sarah Ndiaye, has confirmed with The Echo that she is putting her hand up for Greens preselection for the state seat of Ballina, following Greens MP Tamara Smith announcing she would not be contesting the seat in the 2027 state election.
She joins Mandy Nolan as the second Greens member of Byron and Ballina to say they will be running for preselection for the seat in the next election.
Cr Ndiaye was elected as Mayor of Byron Shire in September 2024 and has faced some key community pushback against the introduction of a Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP) in Byron Bay, turning the Mullumbimby car park on Station Street into housing, and the management of the road closure and road works on the key access and egress route into Mullumbimby, Mullumbimby Road.
Ms Ndiaye has said on social media that her experience in local council means she ‘can walk in on day one and get to work’.
‘I’ve demonstrated that I can work with people for the greater good of our community, bringing people together, not dividing them, and having the willingness to make tough decisions for the right reasons.’
What about her other job?
The NSW council elections run approximately every four years. Therefore, Cr Ndiaye still has more than two years of her term as Mayor left before council elections in 2028.
Cr Ndiaye clarified that she would be eligible to retain her position as mayor for two years or to the end of her term if she was elected as MP for Ballina, depending on which came first. This would allow the deputy mayor to step in as acting mayor during the period leading up to the election.
Ms Nolan, who has already put her hand up for preselection a week ago, has previously run against Labor’s Justine Elliot twice for the Federal seat of Richmond.
‘I have been in service to the community for over 30 years, raising difficult issues in the public sphere,’ said Ms Nolan on her social media.
‘We are in troubling times. People no longer trust the major parties. The Greens are a progressive alternative to the rise of One Nation, focused on genuine solutions, not slogans, blame and hate.
‘Right now we need the politics of kindness and compassion and the commitment and determination to advocate for our community.’
Process
Nominations for running in the Byron-Ballina Greens preselection ballot close on 1 June, so there is still time for more contenders to join the race.
Once nominations close, a postal ballot is sent out to the Greens members (you have to have joined the Byron or Ballina Greens prior 31 March, 2026 to be able to vote in their preselection process). Ballots will be sent out on 8 June; members have 21 days to return their ballots, due 29 June. Then a joint meeting of the Byron and Ballina Greens will confirm the ballot outcome and endorse the chosen candidate.
You can read the full outline of their credentials on their social media pages.
Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader has said she has not yet made up her mind if she will run for the seat of Ballina. She had previously run for preselection as a National and left the party after she was unsuccessful. She could rejoin the Nationals or run as an independent.
Byron Labor said they are currently not aware of any Labor candidates who have nominated to run on behalf of Labor.
‘NSW Labor currently have expressions of interest open for Ballina for the March election. A preselection will be held later in the year,’ Byron Labor president and new local Byron Shire Councillor Peter Dougherty told The Echo.
He said that there is no set date for the closing of preselection at the moment and that the Labor candidate will be decided by a vote of Labor members in the Ballina electorate.
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