Family background
Christopher (Chris) Harris was born at Parramatta Hospital in 1951 and lived in Wentworthville until 1970. He was educated at Marist Brothers, Westmead and Parramatta. Chris was elected as the school vice-captain in 1968.
Occupation & interests
Chris Harris attended the University of NSW and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in the 1970s and a Bachelor of Laws in 2005. Chris worked at the Commonwealth Bank before moving to a research position at the Reserve Bank. He has owned and operated a small business since the mid-1970s focusing on the manufacture of specialised paper products and tickets.
He joined the NSW Greens Party in 1998, and served as Secretary and Treasurer and in many other state party roles and has been actively involved in the management of the party. Chris remains a member of the Greens NSW.
Community activity
Chris Harris was involved with several local campaigns in the North West of Sydney when he lived in Castle Hill. He sought to advance the interests of the community by campaigning against development that served the financial interests of developers at the cost of degrading the environment.
Whilst Chris was a resident of Castle Hill he began a local group of the Greens NSW and organised local government election campaigns in both Hawkesbury Council and the Hills District Council. In 2000 the first Greens Councillor, Leigh Williams, was elected to Hawkesbury Council.
When Chris moved into the City of Sydney local government area in 2002, he worked closely with Marcelle Hoff and The Friends of Pyrmont Point on a campaign to prevent high rise development on what was then a NSW Water Police Depot on the Pyrmont peninsular. The campaign was successful, and Pirrama Park at Pyrmont Point was the result.
Parliamentary service
Chris Harris stood as the Greens candidate twice in the State seat of Sydney but was unsuccessful on both occasions.
Local government service
Chris Harris moved into the City of Sydney local government area in 2002 and was elected to the City of Sydney Council in November 2003 on the back of the Pyrmont Point campaign. He was concerned with over development and advocates strengthening and enforcing planning controls, providing effective community services, improving sustainability and taking action to address climate change. He was the first representative of the Greens Party to be elected to the council.
He served as Deputy Lord Mayor from 2006 until 2007. He was re-elected to Council in 2008 for another four-year term. He served until 2012 when he retired from public life.
References
‘About Chris,’ Chris Harris Greens Candidate Sydney 2012, WordPress, https://chrisharrissydney.wordpress.com/about
‘Councillors unite to support Affordable Housing Strategy,’ Redwatch, http://www.redwatch.org.au/media/090505sshb
Duffy, Conor, ‘NSW Greens behaving ‘like major banks’ says party treasurer Chris Harris in resignation email blast,’ ABC News, 26 May 2016, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-26/nsw-greens-internal-war-over-party-control/7447340