← Canterbury-Bankstown Council
Mayor & councillors

Mayor & councillors

Canterbury-Bankstown has 15 councillors — three for each of the five wards. The Mayor is chosen by the councillors (not directly by voters). Below is who currently holds office, with links to their official profiles and the 2024 election results.

New to these terms? Read them in plain English
How the mayor is chosen
Either elected directly by voters, or chosen by the councillors.
Ward
A subdivision of a council area that elects its own councillors.
Local Government Area (LGA)
The official area a council governs.
NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC)
Runs council elections and publishes the official results.
See the full explainer, with formulas →
Mayor
Bilal El-Hayek (Labor)Re-elected Mayor by fellow councillors (Oct 2024); Bankstown / Darani Ward councillor.
Deputy Mayor
Cr Rachelle Harika (Labor)Bass Hill / Bura Ward. (The previous Deputy Mayor, Karl Saleh OAM, retired in early 2026.)
Councillors
15 across 5 wards (3 per ward)
Wards
Bankstown / Darani, Bass Hill / Bura, Canterbury / Budjar, Revesby / Bunya, Roselands / Bunmarra

Your representatives

Want to raise something? Contacting your ward councillor or the mayor is one of the most direct ways to be heard between elections.

We list who's in office and link to their official profiles and the election results; we don't characterise anyone's politics. Party labels are those each councillor was elected under at the September 2024 election (NSW Electoral Commission); 'Community Voice of Australia' and 'Our Local Community' are the registered groups those councillors stood with. A council's makeup can change between elections through casual vacancies — Cr Hady Saleh (Roselands / Bunmarra) joined in February 2026 via a NSWEC countback after Karl Saleh OAM retired, and the council's official page lists his affiliation as Labor. The council's official page has the most current list.

Sources — check it yourself

Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.