4 May 2015

Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich slammed proposals to build a stadium on Moore Park east and called on all sides of politics to put an end to the betrayal of our public parklands. 

Alex Greenwich MP says:
 
"The SCG has a long history of blatant attempts to grab public land and proven its aims are to build and park cars on, commercialise and privatise our parklands.
 
Unfortunately, instead of defending public land for present and future populations, successive governments have been all too willing to bow to past requests.
 
Less than a decade ago public recreational land was rezoned for commercial development that could bypass normal planning laws – and the result: the SCG built more offices and the NRL headquarters and cut down mature trees without any community consultation.
 
In 2010 the SCG tried to get Moore Park east for a permanent car park but was stopped by a massive community campaign involving residents, community groups, Lord Mayor Clover Moore then also the local MP, Neville Wran, Malcolm Turnbull and David Shoebridge.
 
This latest proposal is its most destructive yet and the community is ready to battle again.
 
Just before the State Election when questioned over rumours, the environment minister denied any knowledge of this proposal and promised not to consider changes without agreement of both trusts.
 
"I join the community in urging the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust to  protect the parklands for present and future generations and blocks any takeover.
 
Moore Park provides essential green open space for the recreation needs of the escalating populations in the inner city, eastern and inner south areas of Sydney: Green Square alone is set to bring over 50,000 new residents to the area.
 
Where will Sydney’s future residents walk, run, exercise, play informal sport and picnic if we build on our grasslands? We should be improving and expanding open space not further eroding it.
 
This is another insult to Governor Macquarie’s Sydney Common bequest which set aside land for recreation for present and future residents. The bequest has already been substantially diminished.
 
I vow to do what I can to stop it and to protect our parklands for present and future generations."