ISSUES

Creating greenspace and greening Marrickville

Cities that are rich in nature bring health and well-bring benefits to humans, help to mitigate the impacts of climate change and provide much needed habitat for native animals. With the Cooks River at our doorstep, Marrickville should be an ecological hotspot but pollution, new rules to make it easier to remove trees and leadership that’s delivered one of the lowest proportions of open greenspace in all of Sydney, Marrickville is falling behind.

Our plan to green Marrickville includes: 

  • Protecting and enhancing our waterways, parks, gardens and open spaces 
  • Overturning Council’s destructive tree canopy policy 
  • Beautifying our streets, greening the verges 
  • Working with Marrickville Golf Club to get better greenspace outcomes
  • Protecting public greenspace like Tempe Reserve from privatisation
  • Building the greenway
  • Incorporating Indigenous knowledge into land management practices

Tackling climate change 

Transitioning to clean, renewable energy will benefit all of us but we must act now to hand the next generation a sustainable future. The Inner West Council should be setting the national standard for climate leadership but the Labor and Liberal parties are holding our community back, because they’re in the grip of fossil fuel companies.

Our plan to tackle climate change locally includes: 

  • Divest Council from fossil fuels 
  • Promote renewable energy 

Reducing waste

How we deal with waste impacts on the environment, the climate, and on our standard of living. We support creating a circular economy that seeks to reduce, reuse and recycle waste, not just sort it into landfill. 

Our plan to tackle waste in Marrickville includes: 

  • Move towards a ban on single use plastics 
  • Introduce a food organics recycling program for all residents backed by major education campaign 
  • Work with and lobby State Government to establish means of incorporating soft plastics into bin waste system
  • Establish community collection hubs for everyday items 

Sustainable local development 

Planning rules and new developments should aim to deliver a more liveable, sustainable and beautiful Marrickville for current and future generations – not just windfall developer profits. OUr neighbourhoods should have open spaces, plenty of trees, be powered by renewable energy and connected through active and sustainable forms of transport like walking, cycling, and public transport.

Our plan for sustainable local development includes: 

  • Advocate for better and more public housing, address housing affordability
  • Protect and celebrate Marrickville’s heritage buildings and precincts.
  • Stopping the sell-off of Petersham Town Hall 
  • Support high quality housing on grounds of sustainability, liveability and economic viability

Transport not tollways 

To meet the demands of our growing city, our community needs world-class public transport that makes it easier to get around Sydney quickly and easily without having to get into a car. But instead, transport decisions are being led by corporations and private toll road companies, whose donations corrupt the policies of the major parties. 

Our plan to build a variety of safe and healthy transport options includes: 

  • Expand and enhance Marrickville’s bicycle network to make it safe, connected and direct.
  • Make our streets more pedestrian friendly with more drinking fountains, shade trees, seating, bins, dog facilities, shelter, lighting, accessible crossings and public toilets.
  • Prioritise walking, cycling and public transport in planning decisions, particularly in urban renewal precincts
  • Improve train station access for people with a disability, a pram or a bike