Qirkz closure

LIVE MUSIC IN MARRICKVILLE          

8/3/10                                                                                                                                          

The closure of the unregulated music venue Qirkz in Marrickville has raised a number of issues about the dearth of live music venues in Sydney and the reasons why musicians have taken the situation into their own hands.

 ”Marrickville Greens councillors are keen to see live music flourish in the inner west and hope that the issues that have necessitated the closure of Qirkz can be resolved as soon as possible,” said Clr Cathy Peters

 ”Qirkz is one of a handful of  similar venues that have been established by musicians who have become disillusioned by the lack of available opportunities for them and their colleagues to play in this city and in desperation have begun to organise small gigs for their friends and supporters”.

“It’s important that venues are safe but it’s also important that local councils work to find ways that enable live music and performance arts to grow in our community.”

“Marrickville Council is seeking to amend its  Local Environmental Plan to facilitate the development of new landuse zones throughout some industrial areas so that these areas can accommodate a level of arts activity within some of the smaller industrial buildings  and sites.”

“On a state level, The Place of Public Entertainment licence requirements have been scrapped, removing a layer of regulation that previously stifled the performance of live music in many small venues.  Now, local councils need to look at reducing  some of the more onerous financial and other requirements so that more musicians can work at their craft and earn a living and more residents can enjoy and appreciate their work.”

 Enquiries:  Clr Cathy Peters

This is the RTA’s “Indicative Map” for the Southern Sydney Connection through Tempe to Alexandria

M5 Southern Sydney Connection Indicative Map (3 page PDF)

Tempe & St Peters residents show opposition to M5 expansion

Hundreds of local Tempe, St Peters and other Marrickville residents marched down South Street Tempe to the RTA ‘consultation’ at Tempe Reserve.

Local children, seeking to protect their neighbourhood from a polluting motorway, led the march behind a banner of NO WAY RTA.

Marrickville Councillors showed their support, marching behind a Marrickville Council banner.  Greens Councillors, Peter Olive, Cathy Peters, Fiona Byrne and Max Phillips marched along side Labor Councillors Sam Iskandar and Mary O’Sullivan.

Councillors Iskandar, Peters, O'Sullivan, Olive, Phillips and Byrne march behind the Marrickville Council banner

State Greens MPs Lee Rhiannon and Sylvia Hale also attended the march.

The RTA should have gotten a strong message as several hundred people converged on their consultation marquee.  The clear message was ‘we dont’ want your road’, or in the words of the head marshall ‘you can stick your road, but we’ll eat your sausages!’

Channel Seven and several other television stations and newspaper photographers were in attendance.

The RTA officials faced tough questioning from local residents angry about the proposal and angry that insufficient information is available – like how many cars will exit into Campbell Road, St Peters.  One man asked ‘which imbecile thought up this stupid idea for a road?’

The crowd also wanted to know why public transport wasn’t being improved as an alternative to new motorways.

The RTA weren’t helped by the fact that their dinky little PA system kept cutting out.

“Where are the senior people?  Where are the Ministers responsible?” asked the crowd, frustrated at the RTA official’s inability to answer a lot of policy questions.

Where was Minister David Campbell?  Where is local member and Premier Kristina Keneally?  Where is Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt?  Good local members would bother to turn up if several hundred of their residents were making such a public stance.  The current mob running the NSW  Government seem to prefer to hide behind the bureaucrats at the RTA or Treasury, than stand up for their voters.

One woman made an excellent point that the consultation is a sham.  ”We don’t need more options,” she said, “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that the community does not want a motorway dumping cars in our residential area and taking away our green space,” she declared to cheers from the crowd.

Another excellent event, well organised and very well supported by the community.

I hope the state government is listening when the community says emphatically:  ’NO WAY RTA, HANDS OFF TEMPE‘.

You can read Greens MP Lee Rhiannon’s press release calling on Premier Keneally to use the launch of the Transport Blueprint as an opportunity to cancel the expansion of the M5.

The Greens are distributing this leaflet to alert residents in St Peters and Alexandria about the expanded M5 dumping traffic in their areas.

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Transport Reporter, wrote this story on the M5 in Friday’s paper.

For more info on the M5, check out the Tempe 2020 website or check out our special M5 page.

M5 Expansion: Keneally should use launch of transport plan to cancel M5 expansion

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon – 19 February 2010 – Media Alert/Release

With the expected release of the government’s transport plan this weekend and a Saturday rally of residents at Tempe opposing the M5 Expansion, Greens MP and roads spokesperson Lee Rhiannon is calling on Premier Keneally to cancel the RTA’s $4.5 billion M5 duplication project and redirect funding to public transport and rail freight infrastructure (‘Elevated motorway meets with protests, p 2, SMH, http://tiny.cc/Dl8Pg)

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon will join residents at the Tempe protest on Saturday 20 February. Residents in ‘No Way RTA t-shirts’ will meet at 10.45am at Victory Park, South Street Tempe and walk to the RTA Information Day.

“Premier Keneally must use the launch of her new transport plan to drop the M5 expansion, in particular the Southern Sydney Connection which will go through Tempe destroying parklands and dumping approximately 15,000 vehicles a day at Euston Road, Alexandria.

“Ms Keneally should instead turn her attention to public transport, rail freight and active transport solutions which are the key to Sydney’s traffic and transport woes,” Ms Rhiannon said.

“The billion dollar RTA expansion of the M5 is the wrong direction in an era of climate change and peak oil.

“Increased spending on public transport and rail freight infrastructure is the key to dealing with a congested M5 tunnel and increased traffic from an expanded Port Botany and the airport.

“Inner West suburbs will be the traffic sewer for the RTA’s misguided motorway plans.

“The M5 Expansion project is strongly opposed by residents in Tempe, Alexandria, St Peters and South Newtown.

“Premier Keneally needs to listen to the community, including affected local councils, and can the project now.

“Dumping this misguided project at an early stage will save taxpayers millions of dollars in consultants fees, assessment plans and tendering processes,” Ms Rhiannon said.

For more information:
9230 3551, 0427 861 568

Greens vision for more trees in Marrickville

The Greens have launched a series of amendments to Marrickville Council’s current tree policy.

The amendments seek to increase the tree canopy for the Marrickville Council area, ensure the pla

nting of bigger trees, increase the planting of native trees, and ensure the removal of trees is only as a last resort.

You can read the full policy here.

The media release is below:

Greens vision for a green Marrickville

10 February 2010  Media Release

Greens councillors on Marrickville Council have released their vision for a greener municipality based on a thorough revision of the Council’s 1993 Street Tree policy.

“We’ve revised the existing policy with the aim of creating more environmentally friendly urban streets for the benefit of our inner city community. We hope other councillors will share our vision”, said Greens councillor, Cathy Peters.

“Having more street trees gives real amenity to the community by providing shade and natural beauty to our environment while combating the excesses of traffic, urban infrastructure and pollution. Councils are the first line of defence against the emerging effects of climate change and play a significant role in testing new approaches to water resources. More street trees will assist in both these challenges.”

“It’s important for Marrickville Council to upgrade its policy and to take some immediate steps to increase the tree canopy and to set targets and goals for tree planting in commercial, residential and industrial areas throughout the district.”

“Marrickville Council started a Tree Policy review over 5 years ago, but this stalled. The Greens think that a good policy for trees should not be difficult and we hope the community will see the sense in a clear simple document that delivers greener streets in the Marrickville Local Government Area.”

“If The Greens’ amendments to council’s Street Tree Policy are adopted it will result in more trees for Marrickville and more opportunities for planting larger and more endemic species in our streets.  It will also examine ways to improve disused urban spaces with bush pockets and other native plantings.”

“Marrickville needs a proactive street tree policy that will have a significant impact on the local environment within 5 years,” Clr Peters said.

Enquiries:

Clr Cathy Peters – 0419444974

Clr Peter Olive – 0401719148

Marrickville failing to reach greenhouse target under Labor Mayor

Media release 10 February 2010

Marrickville Council is set to miss its 2010 greenhouse emissions reduction target by a whopping 4,444 tonnes, after Labor and the Independents last night failed to back the Greens’ motion to buy clean energy to power street lighting.

Council set a reduction target of 20% on 1997 levels, however, every year since 1997 emissions have risen. A report to Council concluded, that although energy efficiency measures and reduced the rate of emission growth, they had still increased to be a forecast 4,444 tonnes over the target. Purchasing green power for $267,000 would have enabled Council to meet its commitment.

“By failing to meet Council’s committed emissions reduction target, Labor are letting down the community and especially our children who will have to live with the consequences of climate change,” said Greens Councillor Max Phillips.

“The Greens believe Marrickville Council should be a leader on climate change and that it is vitally important that Council meet its committed reduction targets.

“While Council has worked to reduce emissions growth, we can’t get around the fact that our street lighting and facilities get electricity from coal-burning power stations.

“Using green power is more expensive, but coal-power has massive environmental and other costs that are not factored into its market price.

“Council should meet its target through powering a percentage of our street lighting with clean energy green power.

“Not only should we be using clean energy, but we should be building local renewable energy projects and making energy saving measures a top priority.

“Labor is failing the community and breaking an election commitment in rejecting my proposal to buy clean energy.

“Labor promised in an election leaflet ‘a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across all areas of council’, yet when it came to actually voting on that commitment, the Mayor and his colleagues flubbed it tonight.

“The Greens will continue to pursue the purchase of clean energy for Council’s power needs and hope that other Councillors will join our strong stance on climate change.

“We need long-term environmental vision and political will on Council, we have enough politicians are other levels of government avoiding the hard decisions and mouthing platitudes.”

Contact: Max Phillips 0419 444 916

Albanese should block funding for M5 expansion

MEDIA RELEASE

6 February 2010

Expressing support for Tempe residents’ rally this Saturday against the M5 corridor expansion, Greens MP and road spokesperson Lee Rhiannon has called on the Federal Minister for Transport Anthony Albanese to say ‘no’ to Infrastructure Australia funding the $4 billion road project being proposed by the NSW government.

Ms Rhiannon says she will work with the community and local Greens councillors to build on the ‘no M5 expansion’ campaign when NSW Parliament resumes in mid February.

The ‘Rally Against the Road’ is at 11am, Sat 6 February, Tempe Lands, South St.

“This monster road project will destroy residential communities, increase greenhouse emissions and air pollution, induce more traffic and rob funds from public transport solutions. It will also make the controversial M4 East inevitable,” Ms Rhiannon said.

“If Mr Albanese gives the nod to funding the project he will severely erode the climate change credentials the Rudd government is attempting to build.

“Labor at both Federal and State levels has created an enormous traffic problem by expanding Port Botany and Sydney Airport. They are now struggling with the wash up.

“The M5 expansion is a bankrupt, non-solution which fails to consider better alternatives to congestion like public transport, freight on rail and active transport.

“The NSW government has failed to learn from history and is again condemning Sydney to another motorway disaster, like the Cross City Tunnel, the Lane Cove Tunnel and the current M5 motorway.

Lee Rhiannon

“Premier Kristina Keneally has tarred herself with the same old Labor government brush by backing this ill-conceived project before releasing the long overdue Transport Blueprint.

“The M5 feasibility study again shows the government prefers to listen to the RTA and big business rather than local communities and public transport planners.

“The proposed Southern Sydney Connection, a four lane surface road, will crash through the $17 million remediated Tempe Lands, the site of Saturday’s rally, and spew traffic into local streets in St Peters and Alexandria.

“The Inner West community will not thank Labor at the polls for this mega-road project.

“Both Federal and State Labor would be wise to dump the proposal, or see damage at the ballot box,” Ms Rhiannon said.

For more information – 0427 81 568

NO WAY RTA M5 rally a success despite rain

Greens Councillor Olive (centre) joins Tempe residents to oppose the expansion of the M5

Many Tempe and other Marrickville residents came out with their umbrellas, raincoats and gum boots to show their opposition to the proposed extension of the M5 motorway through Tempe Reserve to Campbell Road.

Marrickville Council will discuss and vote on its submission to the M5 expansion consultation process this Tuesday, starting from 6.30pm.  Council meetings are held on level 3 or the Council Administration Building,  2 Fisher Street Petersham.

The RTA wants to spend $4 billion widening the M5, building additional tunnels, and a ‘Southern Sydney Extension’ that would dump up to 1,800 vehicles an hour on Campbell Road.  This plan only makes sense when combined with the RTA and state government’s long standing plans to extend the M4 East and connect the M5 via a tunnel under the Marrickville local government area.  There have also been long standing plans to build an F6 south from Tempe to Sutherland.

A video of the event is now on YouTube and photos are on this flickr page.

Video courtesy of  Tempe 2020, a community group set up to provide a positive vision for Tempe.

Marrickville Metro plans massive expansion

AMP Capital, the owners of the Marrickville Metro are about to lodge plans to massively expand the shopping centre, more than doubling its size from 28,000 square metres at present to 60,000 square metres.  Obviously this will have major consequences for Enmore and Marrickville, including massive increases in traffic congestion.  Local shopping strips (decimated when the Metro firest opened) will be badly hurt by the expansion.

The proposal will go through the controversial pro-developer Part 3A development process, bypassing Marrickville Council.

Councillor Peter Olive has put out the following media release

Media release  2 February 2010

Destruction of local shopping strips in Ministers hands

Marrickville Council has been advised that The Department of Planning has received a Part 3A application from AMP to expand Marrickville Metro by over 32,000m2, more than doubling the size of the retail capacity of the site.

“If AMP gets its way and the Metro Supermarket is expanded under the Part 3A it will seriously damage, if not kill off, the shopping strips of Marrickville, Newtown Petersham and Dulwich Hill,” said Greens Councillor, Peter Olive.

“It will be hard to conclude that the Minister isn’t playing favourites with the big end of town if AMP is able to create this jumbo sized centre.”

“AMP’s ambitions seriously contradict the requirements of the state Government’s own Metro Strategy.  It says that in order to justify increased retail in a centre there needs to be at least 2,000- 5,500 residences within radius of 600m2.  If the minister ends up approving this application it will be a case of the tailoring the planning laws for a big player.

“The Metro shopping centre is surrounded by industrial land and the State Government has been extremely reluctant to allow Marrickville Council to rezone any industrial land. It would be very special treatment by the minister if AMP’s industrial land was able to be rezoned when other land, closer to train stations and more suitable for rezoning, has been steadfastly opposed by the Department of Planning.

“There has been a recent spate of applications for new supermarkets, notably at Lewisham Towers and the Marrickville RSL site.  In both cases the community said they didn’t want them.”

“There is enough retail floor space in the Marrickville LGA to cater for the needs of our community.  Our shopping strips have fought back to vitality after taking initial big hits when the Marrickville Metro opened for business in the 1990’s.  The last thing we need is a massive supermarket expansion that will kick them in the guts all over again,” he said.

Contact: Clr Peter Olive 0401719148

Rally against the M5 Extension

View Larger Map

Community Group Tempe 2020 have organised a Rally Against the Road to be held on Saturday Feb 6th from 11am in the Tempe Lands, South Street (between Hart and Fanning St). This rally is a great chance for the local neighbourhood to get together and show the RTA what we think of their new “Road to Nowhere” – an extension of “the worlds dirtiest tunnel” which includes an arterial road through Tempe Reserve and Wetlands to Campbell Road.

The approximate route of the roads are shown here, and is also available on the government-sponsored BuildingSydneyMotorways.

The Rally will be a fun and visible way of sending a message to the RTA and the State Government. There will be entertaining guest speakers, a sausage sizzle and a live band. If you don’t already have a “No Way RTA” T-shirt, they will be available for sale at the rally on the day.

You can also add your voice by making a submission through the RTA’s consultation process – using this feedback form.

Find the Tempe 2020 on Facebook.