Jenny Leong MP, Member for Newtown and NSW Greens spokesperson on Housing and Homelessness has slammed the NSW Liberal/National Government’s 2021 budget which demonstrates they have no plan to end the housing and homelessness crisis for people across NSW even though they have the money and the solutions to do so.

“Today the NSW Liberal Treasurer said it was his job to imagine a ‘better future for everyone’, and yet there is no vision in this budget for a better future for those suffering housing stress, languishing on the public housing waiting list or seeking to find affordable places to live. 

“Yet again, the NSW Liberal National Coalition has made a choice to ignore the massive, and ever-growing, housing inequality in this state by instead choosing to announce some small scale measures and spin them as a good news story.

Responding to the NSW Attorney General’s announcement to reform consent laws in NSW, including a model of affirmative consent, the Greens Women’s Rights spokesperson and Member for Newtown Jenny Leong MP said:

"This announcement today is a powerful tribute to the advocacy, activism and expertise of women, victim-survivors and those who have experienced sexual assault."

With reports that Cabinet is meeting today to consider consent law reforms in NSW, Member for Newtown and Greens Women’s Rights spokesperson, Jenny Leong MP, is urging the Liberal/National Government to listen to women and introduce an affirmative model of consent.

“The Greens are committed to an enthusiastic model of consent that puts the focus squarely on the alleged perpetrator of the sexual assault - not on what the woman did or didn’t do, what the woman did or didn’t wear, nor on what the woman did or didn’t drink.”

“The time for perpetuating rape myths - and allowing them to infect our laws - needs to come to an end.”

Greens housing spokesperson, Jenny Leong MP, has condemned the headline initiative announced with the release of the NSW Housing Strategy today as a dream for property developers and a nightmare for people living with the reality of housing insecurity and housing stress.

The decision by Housing Minister Melinda Pavey to commit to 100% social housing in the redevelopment at Cowper St and Wentworth Park Road in Glebe is a huge win by the community and a welcome change but there’s far more to be done, say NSW Greens MPs, Jamie Parker and Jenny Leong.

A Greens motion has been unanimously passed in the NSW Parliament.

The Motion called on the house to:

1. Acknowledge that the existence of sexual violence and harassment in workplaces including our parliaments is unacceptable
2. Affirm support for people who have experienced sexual violence and harassment, and 
3. Commit to acting to end sexual violence and harassment in this parliament and the community.

Jenny Leong MP, NSW Greens Women’s Rights spokesperson has made the following comments after her question to the Premier and statements by the Speaker in question time today.

Video of the full question, the Premiers response and the Speaker subsequent comments.
Video of Jenny Leong’s personal explanation in the chamber following Question Time.

Jenny Leong MP, Greens spokesperson for Women’s Rights has today given notice that she will introduce the Crimes Amendment (Enthusiastic Consent) Bill to the NSW Parliament to reform consent laws in NSW. 

Our current laws make it almost impossible for victim-survivors of sexual assault to get justice, with definitions around consent, non-consent and knowlege of consent falling heaviliy in favour of the perpetrator. 

NSW Greens MPs Jenny Leong and Abigail Boyd are urgently calling on the Premier to reinstate the Minister for the Prevention of Sexual Assault.

In the NSW Cabinet reshuffle of March 2019, the Premier removed ‘Prevention of Sexual Assault’ from any portfolio responsibility despite widespread community demand for meaningful action on sexual assault. When questioned about this in Budget Estimates last week, the Premier failed to provide an adequate response.

Jenny Leong MP, Greens NSW spokesperson for Women’s Rights said:

“Removing the ministerial responsibility for actually making changes to how we deal with everything from education to legal protections for survivors of sexual assault means that the government has largely dropped the ball on this crucial issue.

 “Back in 2018, the former Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault said that reforms to the NSW Crimes Act were the first priority of the NSW Government Sexual Assault Strategy. That strategy is set to conclude this year and we still haven’t seen any action on real protections for women.

“Where is the NSW Government Sexual Assault Strategy up to? Has it delivered anything in the prevention of sexual assault or for survivors of sexual assault since the abolition of the Minister for the Prevention of Sexual Assault? It seems the main focus has been on the development of a black and white video and a hashtag. 

“The Premier must urgently reinstate the Minister for Prevention of Sexual Assault so that someone is responsible and accountable for delivering the much needed reforms.”

Abigail Boyd MLC, Greens NSW spokesperson for Women’s Equity and Economic Justice, said:

“When I questioned the Premier in Budget Estimates last week, she would not commit to reinstating Ministerial responsibility for prevention of sexual assault and could not provide any concrete government commitments to meet previous commitments to reform consent laws. It’s just not good enough.

“When a government removes ministerial responsibility for prevention of sexual assault and then drops the ball on something as important as sexual consent law reform, you know they’ve made the wrong call.

“Ending sexual violence must be a priority of this Government and it must be backed up by concrete action, not platitudes.”

More information: 0499 550 996

Backed by NSW women MPs from across the political spectrum, Chanel Contos has launched a NSW epetition on International Women’s Day. The petition, sponsored by Jenny Leong MP, requires 20,000 signatures to trigger a debate in the Legislative Assembly on the need for holistic consent education in our schools, from earlier on.