Latest News

Jenny Leong asks Transport Minister for full accessibility at Redfern Station

Jenny Leong MP, Greens Member for Newtown has asked the Minister for Transport to expand planned upgrades for Redfern Station to include lifts for platforms 11 and 12 to make it fully accessible.


Jenny Leong MP on increasing Library funding in NSW

Jenny Leong MP, Member for Newtown has spoken out in support of increased funding for our libraries.


Tribute to Ron Austin

Jenny Leong MP spoke to Parliament to acknowledge the contribution of campaigner, activist and "Godfather of Mardi Gras" Ron Austin, who recently passed away at the age of 90.


Jenny Leong Declares a Climate Emergency

Greens Member for Newtown, Jenny Leong MP has declared a Climate Emergency in NSW and called on the government to act now.


Jenny Leong Recognises Community Groups Engaging in Local Democracy

Jenny Leong MP, Greens Member for Newtown has recognised the continuation local community groups make to local democracy by when they hold candidate forums in the lead up to elections.


Jenny Leong embraces the Extinction Rebellion

On her first day back in the NSW Parliament after the election, Jenny Leong MP, Member for Newtown has called on the government to act urgently on climate change.


Jenny Leong takes on Women's rights portfolio

Following the 2019 State Election, Jenny Leong is pleased to accept the Women's Rights portfolio on behalf of the NSW Greens. This portfolio will have an emphasis on abortion law reform, anti-discrimination and sexual consent laws. 


Media Release: Greens announce plan for air quality monitors

Greens announce plan for air quality monitors in pollution ‘hot spots’ on WestConnex route Jenny Leong MP for Newtown and Jamie Parker MP for Balmain have announced the Greens’ plan to address evidence of worsening air quality in Sydney. The Greens are calling for air pollution monitors to be installed at all local primary schools in close proximity to WestConnex construction zones and exhaust stacks.


The Greens support live music and your right to party

The Greens have a long track record standing up against the lockout laws and over-policing in NSW. We stand with musicians, creatives, artists, festivals, party-goers, hospo workers, foodies, wine-connoisseurs and people who want to be able to dance all night to 80’s Madonna or Mojo Juju. The Greens want live music to thrive in our city and know the importance of music festivals. And we will do everything we can to make this happen!We were the only party in parliament who opposed the lockouts when they were introduced. In the next parliamentary term, Greens MPs for Newtown and Balmain, Jenny Leong and Jamie Parker, will introduce bills to repeal the lockouts and ban sniffer dogs. We support a harm minimisation approach to drug use which includes state sanctioned pill testing. We oppose punitive regulations that shut down our nightlife and close down festivals.It's beginning to look like NSW has become the biggest party pooper state in the country. For a government that is supposedly ‘liberal’, and who values individual freedoms, the Berejiklian Government has becoming increasingly interested in regulating people’s private lives. While the wowserism of this government has provoked outrage, the double standards are breathtaking: at a time when our personal freedoms are being progressively restricted, major corporations are enjoying a golden age – at our expense. The overregulation of festivals has become the latest in a chain of events where the government has cracked down hard on innocent people on the dance floor. The fun police have been out in force these past few years – first sniffer dogs, then the lockouts, then banning protests and public assembly and now music festivals. See Greens MPs Jenny Leong and Tamara Smith's media statement on live music here. 


Revised Inner City High School Catchment Released

In good news for families living in Redfern, the Department of Education has revised the boundaries for the Inner City High School Catchment following a concerted community campaign to allow local kids to attend the school. “The revision will be a welcome win for some - but there still remains a number of unanswered questions.


Families in limbo: Minister fails to release Inner City High School catchment review

Families living around Redfern and Darlington have been left in limbo, after the Education Minister announced a review of the catchment for the new Inner City High School, but has failed to meet his own deadline, according to Greens Member for Newtown Jenny Leong MP.


WestConnex M4-M5 tunnel update

M4-M5 Tunnel Route This is the M4-M5 tunnel route map which allows you to zoom into your street address and see whether tunnelling will occur under your property and what the proposed depth of the tunnel will be. Just hold your mouse over your location and you will see the information appear in a pop out box. Sub-Stratum Acquisitions If your home is directly above the tunnel route, the Government will compulsorily acquire the land underneath the property. You will be sent a Property Acquisition Notice (PAN) under the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991 before any tunnelling commences. This compulsory acquisition does not prevent a property owner from selling/buying/re-mortgaging their property. You can contact RMS for more information about substratum acquisitions by calling (02) 8849 2308 during working hours. Property precondition assessments  If your home is above or within 50 metres from the proposed tunnel, you should receive an offer for a free property pre and post condition assessment from the RMS.  Independent Property Impact Assessment Panel This panel is responsible for independently reviewing condition reports, resolution of property damage disputes and the establishment of ongoing settlement and vibration monitoring requirements. Either party can refer a dispute to the Panel with all costs borne by the RMS. For information on this panel contact RMS.  WestConnex Community Reference Groups Local community members can have issues raised via the WestConnex Community Reference Group and the Inner West Council's WestConnex Community Liaison Forum meetings. You can contact the Inner West Council for more information on these groups.  Community groups such as the WestConnex Action Group, Newtown Residents Against WestConnex, Leichhardt Against WestConnex and Rozelle Against WestConnex also provide information about local campaigns and developments.  How to complain Contact WestConnex for general information and the complaint line - 1800 660 248 Contact the NSW Environment Protection Authority about out-of-hours works, noise, dust, fumes, odour or any form of pollution. Contact the Department of Planning, Industry & Environment's WestConnex Compliance Officer about construction work, workers, traffic or pedestrian changes - 1300 305 695. The Greens are calling for The redirection of funding from WestConnex and the M4-M5 Tunnel and Rozelle Interchange into world class public transport Deeper tunnelling Expansion of the zone of influence to 250m Vibration monitoring at homes within the zone of influence Deployment of ground movement detection and satellite technology to confirm causation of property damage Commitment to compensating property owners for compulsory underground acquisitions Additionally here are some of my speeches in parliament about WestConnex and these are a range of Questions on Notice on WestConnex that our office has submitted over the years. The Greens in the NSW parliament succeeded in establishing an Inquiry into WestConnex and the Findings and Recommendations of this NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the Impact of WestConnex are here. Further information is available via our Stop WestConnex website. Please feel free to contact our office via email [email protected] or phone us on 95172800 should you require any further information on the impact of WestConnex. Community Impact In December 2018 details of the latest WestConnex M4-M5 route and tunnel depths were published on an interactive map which showed a large number of locations where the proposed tunnel depths would be far shallower than previously indicated. Depths of between 16-25 metres under many residential streets in St Peters, Camperdown, Annandale and Leichhardt are unacceptable given the severe impacts which have already been seen on homes in other areas at deeper tunneling depths.  The Greens and affected community members are calling for the following:  Scrap WestConnex and redirect money into public transport Deeper tunnelling Community representative on the RMS damage assessment panel Expand the zone of influence to 250m Vibration monitoring at homes within zone of influence Deploy ground movement detection technology to confirm causation of property damage Commit to compensating property owners for compulsory underground acquisitions Our office wrote to the Premier,  Planning Minister Roberts and WestConnex Minister Ayres in December alerting them to the unacceptable tunnel depths and lack of consultation on the new route and the shallow tunnel depths and called on them to ensure that the new plans were considered properly.  The response we received in February is unsatisfactory and did not address the issues our office raised in relation to the changed tunnel depths. You can take action and call on the Premier to act to ensure that the proposed tunnel depths through Leichhardt, Annandale, Stanmore, Camperdown,Newtown and St Peters are reconsidered as a matter of urgency and that the community is given a formal opportunity to respond to these tunnel depths as well as the new route. You can download a hard copy of this letter and share it with your neighbours.  


NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the light rail - update

The NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the CBD and South East Light Rail Project, it has made some strong recommendations in its recently released Report. The significant financial and health impacts of this project have been recognised and recommendations have been made in relation to property damage and compensation as well as a call for Transport for NSW to provide ongoing mental health support. One of the big issues that our office has lobbied for on behalf of local residents - the need for an additional stop at Wimbo Park - has been taken up by the committee with a recommendation that Transport for NSW favourably review the need for a stop there. The Report also recognised there were significant problems with major infrastructure being built as a Public Private Partnership and recommended that the government formally request that the Auditor-General undertake a review into the effectiveness of such contracts for state significant infrastructure projects.  It's time to put an end to major public infrastructure projects being privatised in either construction or operation.


Unfair catchment for the Inner City High School

Today we wrote to the Premier and Education Minister requesting an update on the review of the proposed catchment for the Inner City High School.  Many parents have been in contact with our office concerned that their Year 6 children will soon be commencing transition to high school programs, and they don’t know what their local high school will be. Click on the image to read the full letter.


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