Twenty Years of Greens on Marrickville Council

Twenty years ago, on the 14th of September 1991, Bruce Welch was elected to Marrickville Council and John Sutton was elected to Newcastle Council. They were the first Greens elected to local government in NSW.

How To Vote Green in 1991

To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Bruce’s election, Marrickville and Petersham Newtown Greens have organised a get-together of all eleven Greens elected to Marrickville over that twenty year period.

There will be brief speeches from Bruce Welch, our first Greens Mayor, Sam Byrne, and our current Greens Mayor, Fiona Byrne.

Members are welcome to join us in this modest celebration of our two decades of representation on Marrickville Council.

When: Thursday the 22nd of September 2011
Where: Petersham Town Hall, Crystal Street Petersham
Time: 6.00pm to 8.00pm.

RSVP to Colin Hesse for catering purposes at colinh@nsw.greens.org.au

For more details on the history of the Greens in the inner west (and Colin Hesse’s hair style through the decades) visit http://davidshoebridge.org.au/2011/09/14/greens-celebrate-twenty-years-in-local-government/

Don’t let the New State Government dump the GreenWay

From Friends of the Greenway:

Friends of the Greenway today called on the NSW Government to commit to funding and implementing the 5km long Iron Cove to Cooks River GreenWay, as an integral component of the light rail extension from Lilyfield to Dulwich Hill.

Friends of the Greenway Convenor Jud Agius said the GreenWay is a 15-year vision to turn the former goods line into a bushland and integrated active transport corridor for walking, cycling and light rail, linking the Cooks River with Sydney Harbour.

“It is vital that the new Government follows through on funding for the GreenWay, so that the benefits of this integrated transport project are realised. Integrating the GreenWay with the light rail was a commitment made by the previous Labor Government, and it is what the community are saying they want” he said.

The GreenWay will include a shared pedestrian and cycle path and regeneration of a diverse bush corridor, alongside the light rail route.

The regeneration will assist with the recovery of the threatened population of the Long-nosed Bandicoot which has been found living in the corridor.

The former NSW Government committed around $20-30 million for the GreenWay, less than one fifth of the total project budget of $150m for both the light rail and GreenWay. Despite requests by Friends of the Greenway and the Councils, the new State Government has not confirmed GreenWay funding, while committing to funding the light rail.

“We are now hearing rumours from credible sources that the GreenWay funding is to be cut in the State budget to be released in September. We are calling on residents of the Inner West to let the State Government know we want the GreenWay as much as the light rail, and it must not cut the GreenWay’s funding.” Mr Agius said.

“The GreenWay will be a show case for a people-friendly Sydney, and a glimpse of what a sustainable Sydney could look like in the 21st Century, with walking and cycling happening alongside sustainable public transport. In fact the GreenWay will increase patronage for the light rail.” Mr Agius said.

“The GreenWay is a once in a generation opportunity that we cannot afford to lose. It will be much more difficult and a poorer outcome, if the GreenWay is not built and designed at the same time as the light rail.”

“The GreenWay vision was actually around long before light rail was even mooted, so the current refusal of the NSW Government to commit to it is very concerning.

“Without the GreenWay, we’ll simply be turning an industrial goods line corridor into an industrial light rail corridor and leaving a degraded, weed-infested area around the line. With all the new medium density housing going into the area this would be a sub-standard result for the area.”

Mr Agius said the GreenWay would have many advantages including:

• Helping to increase patronage of the light rail, by linking regional cycling and walking routes (such as the Parramatta to Botany Bay route along the Cooks River and Bay Run to City route) with the light rail operation;
• Creating a regional active transport corridor linking with Sydney’s CBD for the growing (and ageing) population of not only the Inner-West, but surrounding Sydney sub-regions;
• Providing much-needed open space for the community, volunteer bushcare groups and habitat for local flora and fauna;
• Protecting an Endangered Population of bandicoot, and establishing a green bush corridor though a highly urbanised part of Sydney;
• Getting people out of their cars and on to other sustainable transport forms – reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting Sydney as a sustainable city;
• Providing an opportunity for children to walk or cycle safely to school, with some 23 schools within the GreenWay catchment area. The State Government and Councils have already created this expectation with parents and teachers in the area.

Mr Agius thanked Ashfield, Marrickville, Canterbury and Leichhardt Councils for their ongoing support of the GreenWay.

“The Councils have been doing a fantastic job, advocating for the GreenWay and promoting it to the community. There are many Council run projects already underway in the GreenWay that have involved several thousand residents and school kids.” Mr Agius said.

In 2009, the NSW Government provided a $1.8m Urban Sustainability Grant to Ashfield Council on behalf of the four Councils to help build community support for the GreenWay. In addition, the Government has given a number of grants to help plan for the corridor.

The ‘2nd Greenway Festival’ from 23-29 October 2011 is being organised by the Urban Sustainability team based at Ashfield Council.

To write to the Premier and Minister for Transport, download campaign letters at www.friendsofthegreenway.org.au

For more information about the Greenway go to www.greenway.org.au

Action Needed To Save Koalas

The Nature Conservation Council of NSW is urging people across NSW to act immediately to save a small but significant colony of koalas in the state’s south.

Despite great efforts by local activists and conservation groups to protect the colony of koalas, logging trucks have entered Mumbulla State Forest, south of Bermagui. Contrary to assurances from the Minister, the ABC reports the habitat of the koala colony faces imminent destruction.

Local residents and conservation groups attempt to stop logging at Mumbulla

Please ask for Premier Keneally’s urgent intervention to end the logging in the home of the South East’s koalas. Urgent action is needed to let the NSW Government know how appalled you are that it is willing to abandon our iconic koalas and their native forest in return for a quick, unsustainable profit. The only healthy koala colony left in the far south coast is about to be sacrificed so that its old-growth native habitat can be turned into wood chip and exported for low-grade paper products.

How you can help:

Contact the Premier’s office and express your disappointment and opposition to the start of logging.
Premier Kristina Keneally’s Ministerial Office
Address:Level 40 Governor Macquarie Tower, 1 Farrer Place, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: 9228 5239
Email: premier@www.nsw.gov.au

Contact Carmel Tebbutt, our local MP and the Deputy Premier – ask if she is aware of the logging in the South East forest and ask her what she is going to do about it!
Email Ms Tebbutt at marrickville@parliament.nsw.gov.au or call her office on 9558 9000

Let the NSW Government know that our inner west community does not support the destruction of native forests and iconic animals – Bermagui may be a long way from Marrickville but we want the koalas and their habitat protected!

Learn more about our iconic koalas (and the massive culls carried out in the early 20th century here).

UPDATE 6th April:Lorraine Bower of ForestMedia reports that full scale logging is expected to resume this Friday (9th April).
In the mean time, Forests NSW have aimed to keep the loggers occupied by clearing a 3 meter strip along the roadside under the guise of “road maintenance.” You can view photos and video posted in the last few days on flickr.

Rally against the M5 Extension

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.

Walk Against Warming

Join The Greens in the Walk Against Warming

The Walk Against Warming on Saturday 12th December coincides with the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit.
It’s D-day for us to show our politicians and world leaders we want global action on climate change!

Join the Marrickville Greens in the Walk Against Warming – we’re travelling together to the walk from Marrickville Station.  Meet us there at 12pm to make our way together to the rally (starts at Martin Place at 1pm).  Bring your family and friends, wear sky blue laces or something else blue.

You can find out more about the walk, and other Walk locations outside Sydney at http://www.walkagainstwarming.org/

Arlington Oval Consultation Re-Opened

Marrickville Council has re-opened the consultation on the million dollar plan to cover Arlington Oval with plastic turf, following pressure from residents around Arlington Oval and Greens Councillors.

Arlington Oval Still Under Threat

The huge turnout at last weekend’s community action has prompted council to hold a consultation session at the Oval this Sunday 16th August, from 9am to noon. This is your opportunity to speak to Council officers, and persuade Labour and Independent Councillors to change their minds!

If you live in the area around the Oval you should already have received this letter from Council, giving you the opportunity to tell your Councillors what you think. You can also comment online until 4th September.  

If the plans to cover the Oval with synthetic turf are to be halted, we must convince Labour and Independent Councillors to reverse their decision.  The plans are also available on the Marrickville Council website.

Contact Marika Kontellis (0409 076 708) for more information on the Greens campaign to save Arlington Oval.

*** Update 13-Aug *** Research by SaveArlingtonReserve has discovered an article in PitchCare Oceania highlighting the concerns turf care professionals in the USA have with fake grass. Always a good read, PitchCare magazine raises more questions about the environmental and financial sustainability of plastic turf:
http://www.pitchcare.com.au/magazine/article/1299