Monday 5 September 2016

City Election, Regulate Mining, SOS Green Spaces, Save Sirius, Protect Art Schools, Rushcutters Recreation, Office Move and Northcott Pet Day

City Election

The City of Sydney election is on Saturday 10 September and polling places are open 8am-6pm. Find your closest booth HERE. You can vote early at Sydney Town Hall, St Barnabas Broadway or Redfern Town Hall.

Woollahra Council is awaiting a court decision (expected late this month) on the appeal against the Land and Environment Court decision that amalgamation with Randwick and Waverley meets the legal requirements under the Local Government Act.

Regulate Mining

Government MPs tried to prevent me from speaking about the impact of climate change in Parliament when I raised concerns about coal mining and coal seam gas. Rapid mining expansion is unsustainable and putting our food, water, biodiversity and health at risk. We need exclusion zones to ban mining on or adjacent to productive agricultural land, water catchments and the waterways that feed into them, high conservation value land and towns. Mining companies should not be able to avoid rehabilitating sites, leaving the community to make good.

The Victorian Government has taken bold steps to prevent destructive fracking and coal seam gas exploration and mining in order to protect farmland and a moratorium on new conventional gas extraction until July 2020. NSW also needs to act. My speech is HERE.     

SOS Green Spaces

Total Environment Centre’s SOS Green Spaces forum Monday 12 September 6.30-8.30pm at Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts covers the new urban tree SEPP that will override existing tree preservation orders and set new native vegetation clearing controls across urban areas in NSW; Crown Lands legislative changes; the review of SEPP 19 (Urban Bushland) and how the Greater Sydney Commission will affect planning decisions. Details HERE. 

Save Sirius Campaign

An inspiring community campaign continues to work on saving the Sirius building from sale and demolition, crowdfunding for a legal challenge with the Environmental Defenders Office of the Minister for Heritage’s decision not to protect the heritage-listed building. Donate HERE. 

Support the community campaign: http://saveoursirius.org/. For a good summary of the building’s architectural history, see HERE. Sirius also has a valuable social history through links to The Rocks and Sydney’s maritime communities.

Protect Art Schools

Last week I joined Lord Mayor Clover Moore to support the Friends of the National Art School rally outside Parliament House. In response to my question in Parliament, the Deputy Premier did not rule out the sale of the school’s former Darlinghurst Gaol site at Taylor Square. Read more HERE. 

I’m watching this tie closely, given reports show the government is selling more than $3 billion of public property. See article HERE. 

Rushcutters Recreation

Woollahra Council has developed a proposal for a recreational space, including their first ever skate facilities, a half size basketball court, outdoor ping pong table, lighting, seating, natural shade and landscaping. Council’s recreation study identified the need for activities and facilities targeting young people given the increasing numbers of young people living in the inner east. You can see the design and comment to council by 12 September. Details HERE. 

Office Move

NSW Parliament is moving the Sydney electorate office on Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 September. During the move, we will lose telephone and computer access and have to pack and unpack so the office will be closed from Wednesday 14 to Friday 16 September. The new office is at Ground Floor 21 Oxford Street Darlinghurst (the former Subway). The telephone number will change to 9267 5999.

Northcott Pet Day

Pet Day is on again Saturday 10 September 11am-3pm at Ward Park Surry Hills, with free pet health checks, microchipping, desexing for pets of low income owners, show bags and information and advice. Details HERE.