Stephen Bali
{{Short description|Australian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Stephen Bali
| honorific-suffix = {{postnominals|country=AUS|size=100%|sep=,|MP}}
| image = Blacktown Mayor Stephen Bali (cropped).jpg
| caption =
| constituency_MP1 = Blacktown
| parliament1 = New South Wales
| term_start1 = 14 October 2017
| term_end1 =
| predecessor1 = John Robertson
| successor1 = incumbent
| office2 = Parliamentary Secretary for Planning and Public Spaces
| term_start2 = 1 May 2023
| term_end2 =
| minister2 = Paul Scully
| office3 = 35th Mayor of Blacktown
| deputy3 = Russ Dickens
Jacqueline Donaldson
Tony Bleasdale
| term_start3 = 17 September 2014
| term_end3 = 9 October 2019
| predecessor3 = Len Robinson
| successor3 = Tony Bleasdale
| office4 = Deputy Mayor of Blacktown
| 1blankname4 = Mayor
| 1namedata4 = Charlie Lowles
| term_start4 = 2 September 2009
| term_end4 = 22 September 2010
| predecessor4 = Alan Pendleton
| successor4 = Kathie Collins
| office5 = Councillor of the City of Blacktown
for Ward 4
| term_start5 = 23 March 2004
| term_end5 = 14 October 2019
| birth_date = 12 November{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Hansard/Pages/HansardResult.aspx#/docid/HANSARD-1323879322-120551|title=Member for Blacktown|work=Hansard|date=12 November 2021}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch)
| relations =
| residence = Doonside
| alma_mater =
| occupation =
| signature =
| website = stephenbali.com.au
| footnotes =
}}
Stephen Louis Bali is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the Electoral District of Blacktown since a by-election held to replace former Labor leader John Robertson in late 2017.{{Cite web |title=Blacktown by-election 2017 |url=https://abc.net.au/news/elections/blacktown-by-election-2017 |access-date=2023-02-24 |publisher=ABC News |language=en-AU}} He previously served as the mayor of Blacktown City Council between 2014 and 2019.
Early life
Bali was raised in the suburb of Doonside in the heart of Western Sydney by his parents Karoly (Charlie) and Eva Bali, where he still lives today.{{Cite web |last=Bali |first=Stephen |date=21 November 2017 |title=Inaugural Speeches |url=https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/member/files/2233/Stephen%20Bali%20Inaugural%20Speech.pdf |website=Parliament of NSW}} His father Charlie Bali also served as a councillor and deputy mayor of Blacktown City Council.{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Antony |title=Blacktown By-Election 2017 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/blacktown-by-election-2017}}
Bali graduated with a Bachelor of Business from the Macarthur Institute of Higher Education, a Master of Commerce from the University of Western Sydney, and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance from the Finance Institute of Australia.{{Cite web |title=Mr Stephen Louis BALI, BBus, MComm MP |url=https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members/Pages/member-details.aspx?pk=2233 |website=Parliament of NSW}}
Between 1996 and 2000 Bali was an associate lecturer at the University of Western Sydney, and from 2000 to 2004 a lecturer at the University of Newcastle.
Before entering politics Bali was an official at the Australian Workers Union from 2004 to 2017.
Political career
Stephen Bali was first elected to Blacktown City Council in 2004, representing Ward 4. He was deputy mayor between 2009 and 2010, before being elected as mayor in 2014 by its 15 councillors.
In 2016 mayor Bali was elected as the president of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils, an organisation of local government areas in Western Sydney including Blacktown City.{{Cite web |date=21 October 2016 |title=Blacktown Mayor Stephen Bali voted in as new president of WSROC |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/the-standard/blacktown-mayor-stephen-bali-voted-in-as-new-president-of-wsroc/news-story/6603dd37e8fffa39fa854679428d56f2 |website=The Daily Telegraph|location=Sydney}}
On 8 August 2017 the then state member for Blacktown John Robertson announced he would be resigning from the NSW Legislative Assembly,{{Cite web |last=Vella |first=Joanne |date=8 August 2017 |title=Blacktown MP John Robertson quits, mayor Stephen Bali could take over |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/blacktown-advocate/blacktown-mp-john-robertson-quits-mayor-stephen-bali-could-take-over/news-story/227d8b9bb557c6e81f55aa090002fdab?amp&nk=d62d5225cb062d667ab06f64e199a824-1677388550 |website=The Daily Telegraph|location=Sydney}} causing a by-election to be held later that year on 14 October. Bali, the then high-profile mayor of Blacktown, was endorsed as Labor's candidate to succeed the former leader. He was elected as the state member for Blacktown, with 82.3% of the two-party-preferred vote. In his inaugural speech to the parliament Bali outlined his goals for health, education, and infrastructure for his electorate, which he claimed had previously been "excluded". Bali was subsequently returned to the Legislative Assembly in the 2019 New South Wales State general election with a two-party-preferred vote of 67.74%, and a swing of +4.55 points.
Bali continued to serve as both the member and the mayor of Blacktown; but due to legislation introduced by the Liberal O'Farrell State Government in 2012, members of the NSW State Parliament could not hold office in local government concurrently for more than two years. As a result, Bali resigned as a councillor and mayor of Blacktown City Council on 9 October 2019.{{Cite web |last=Agaciak |first=Alex |date=2019-10-10 |title=Mayor Stephen Bali MP Steps Down |url=https://www.swr999.com.au/news/mayor-stephen-bali-mp-steps-down/ |access-date=2023-02-24 |website=SWR 99.9 FM |language=en-US}}
Bali re-contested Blacktown at the 2023 New South Wales state election and was re-elected with 69.1% of the two-party-preferred vote, a swing of 2.5 points.{{Cite web |title=Blacktown - NSW Electorate, Candidates, Results |url=https://abc.net.au/news/elections/nsw/2023/guide/blac |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=abc.net.au |language=en-AU}} He was subsequently announced as Parliamentary Secretary for Planning and Public Spaces on 26 April 2023.{{Cite web |last=Tribune |first=The National |date=2023-04-26 |title=Minns Labor Government Parliamentary Secretaries announced |url=https://www.nationaltribune.com.au/minns-labor-government-parliamentary-secretaries-announced/ |access-date=2023-05-01 |website=The National Tribune |language=en-AU}}
Activism and charity work
In 2015 mayor Bali had heavily opposed the controversial SBS documentary Struggle Street, which depicted what residents called an "unflattering depiction of [
Bali also serves as the chair of the Better Foundation [https://betterfoundation.org.au/], a charity created in 2016 which operates in the Blacktown and Mount Druitt area specifically to raise funds for Blacktown Hospital and Mount Druitt Hospital for equipment, training, and other resources that the state government's budget does not fund.{{Cite web |title=Better Foundation: Help make your hospital better |url=https://betterfoundation.org.au/ |access-date=2023-02-24 |website=betterfoundation.org.au |language=en-AU}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-civ}}
{{s-bef| before = Alan Pendleton}}
{{s-ttl| title = Deputy Mayor of Blacktown| years = 2009–2010}}
{{s-aft| after = Kathie Collins}}
{{s-bef| before = Len Robinson}}
{{s-ttl| title = Mayor of Blacktown| years = 2014–2019}}
{{s-aft| after = Tony Bleasdale}}
{{s-par|au-nsw-la}}
{{s-bef| before = John Robertson}}
{{s-ttl| title = Member for Blacktown| years = 2017–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}
{{NSWCurrentMLAs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bali, Stephen}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Shire Presidents and Mayors of Blacktown
Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales
Category:Australian people of Hungarian descent
Category:Australian Labor Party councillors