Khal Asfour

Khaldoun Asfour is an Australian politician and former Mayor of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown,[1] the largest local government area in New South Wales by population, and fourth most-populous local government in Australia. He previously served as a councillor for the City of Bankstown from 2004 to 2016, serving as its mayor from 2011 to 2014 and again from 2015 to 2016.[2][3]

Councillor
Khal Asfour
1st Mayor of Canterbury-Bankstown
In office
26 September 2017 – 11 May 2023
Deputy
See list
  • Nadia Saleh
    Clare Raffan
    Bilal El-Hayek
    Rachelle Harika
    Linda Downey
    Bilal El-Hayek
    Clare Raffan
Preceded byRichard Colley (Administrator)
Succeeded byBilal El-Hayek
Councillor of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown
for Bankstown Ward
Assumed office
9 September 2017
52nd Mayor of Bankstown
In office
27 June 2011 – 16 September 2014
DeputyAllan Winterbottom
Scott Parker
Preceded byTania Mihailuk
Succeeded byLinda Downey
In office
21 September 2015 – 12 May 2016
DeputyDan Nguyen
Preceded byLinda Downey
Succeeded byCouncil abolished
Personal details
Political partyLabor
Alma materUniversity of New South Wales

Career

Asfour is a member of the Australian Labor Party, and publicly announced his intention to nominate as the party's endorsed candidate for the New South Wales state seat of Lakemba for the 2015 New South Wales state election.[4][5] He was not successful, with the party choosing eventual MP Jihad Dib without a local pre-selection contest taking place.[6]

In 2018, Asfour announced that the City of Canterbury-Bankstown would establish a pilot program to provide free childcare to all local asylum seeker families in its council-run centres, the first program of its kind in Australia.[7]

In 2022, Asfour was accused of being an acolyte for corrupt politician Eddie Obeid by fellow Labour MP Tania Mihailuk in State Parliament.[8] Following the claims, Asfour was investigated by an independent party and was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing in January 2023.[9]

References
  1. "Councillor Khal Asfour". City of Canterbury-Bankstown. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  2. "Cr Khal Asfour". Local Government NSW. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  3. "Fatherly love gives courage to Bankstown mayor Khal Asfour's cause: His daughter's diagnosis changed his perspective on life". The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  4. "Lakemba state Labor MP Robert Furolo will not contest the 2015 state election". The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  5. "Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour pushes for Labor preselection for seat of Lakemba". The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  6. "Punchbowl Boys High School principal chosen as Labor's candidate for Lakemba seat in 2015 state election". The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  7. "Free childcare for asylum seeker families an Australian first". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  8. "NSW Labor MP Tania Mihailuk quits party a month after making allegations against rival". the Guardian. 20 October 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  9. "NSW Labor candidate Khal Asfour cleared of wrongdoing after allegations were made in parliament". the Guardian. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.


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