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. 

Jenny Leong MP, Greens spokesperson for Women’s Rights is urgently calling on the Premier to reinstate the Minister for the Prevention of Sexual Assault and for consent laws to be strengthened in NSW.

In the NSW Cabinet reshuffle of March 2019, the Premier chose to allocate the ‘Prevention of Domestic Violence’ responsibilities to the Attorney General, while the ‘Prevention of Sexual Assault’ element of this previous portfolio was abandoned and is no longer a named portfolio.

The government’s announcement of two social housing redevelopments in Glebe and Eveleigh are designed to open up valuable public land to private development rather than to maximize the development of new social and affordable housing says NSW Greens MPs, Jenny Leong and Jamie Parker.

The Redfern Waterloo Alliance launched their campaign today seeking action from the NSW government on the provision of and clear targets for Aboriginal affordable housing in the Redfern Waterloo area. Greens Member for Newtown and Housing and Homelessness spokesperson, Jenny Leong MP, and Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Australian Greens spokesperson on Housing, welcomed the launch – and offered their commitment to the demands of the campaign.

Jenny Leong MP, Member for Newtown and NSW Greens spokesperson on Housing and Homelessness says,

“I fully support this important campaign calling for real action and the delivery of affordable housing for Aboriginal people living in the Redfern and Waterloo area.

“Redfern and Waterloo sit on Gadigal land, it is land that was never ceded – and it is long overdue that the NSW Government gave priority to ensuring that Aboriginal housing sits at the heart of our inner city community – we will be doing everything we can to ensure this campaign succeeds.”

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Australian Greens spokesperson on Housing says, 

“Aboriginal communities have longstanding roots in Redfern and Waterloo, and the right to self-determination. It is critical that Aboriginal people and their organisations lead efforts to improve and expand housing in these communities.

“For too long, social housing that meets the needs of communities simply hasn’t been sufficiently provided. It’s time to change that.

“The Greens give our full and enthusiastic support to the Redfern Waterloo Alliance of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and Allies for this important campaign,” she said.

Jenny Leong MP, Greens Member for Newtown and spokesperson for Multiculturalism today gave notice of a Private Member’s Bill in the NSW Legislative Assembly to support international students by giving them concessions on public transport.

In response to today’s announcement by the NSW Government outlining an eviction moratorium for NSW renters and other measures, Jenny Leong MP, NSW Greens spokesperson on Housing welcomed the much needed protection put in place through an eviction moratorium and increased funding for tenant support, but questioned whether the money allocated to the package will actually assist in reducing rents at this time.

Jenny Leong MP said:

“This moratorium on evictions in NSW, including protection from being blacklisted, will provide crucial protection for those who have been living with the stress of being evicted into homelessness because they can’t pay their rent.

The NSW Planning Minister has used powers under the COVID-19 Emergency Measures Act to extend the hours developers and construction companies are able to work - clearing the way for 7-days of work on construction sites for existing projects. 

These extended hours have come into force this week causing much concern to residents who will be severely impacted.

At a time when health advice is directing people to maintain social distancing, work from home and stay at home - it is understandable that many are worried about these extended construction hours.

There will no doubt be additional stress put on people living near construction sites who, under these changes, will have to tolerate unbroken days of construction impacts.

Many of our local communities are currently already impacted badly by WestConnex construction - and this will only exacerbate the problem.

Jamie Parker MP, NSW Greens spokesperson on Planning released this statement and continues to advocate for communities impacted by these changes. You can see him on a recent interview on Nine News here.

It is clear that the Government must:

• Stop all night work
• Provide effective noise and dust mitigation
• Install noise and vibration monitors in impacted homes
• Provide a strict noise timetable. 

[UPDATE 19 May 2020]

The Sydney Alliance are calling on the NSW Government to provide urgent financial support for those people in NSW not covered by JobKeeper and JobSeeker. I responded to their letter on behalf of the NSW Greens as the Greens Spokesperson for Multiculturalism and you can find our response here.

[UPDATE 15 April 2020]

We are pleased to support the #unityoverfear campaign - please take a minute to do the same. The anti-chinese and anti-asian narratives and actions are causing many people, including myself, real harm at this time. Racism is NEVER okay.

[UPDATE 31 MARCH, 2020]

Today I wrote to the NSW Premier on behalf of a large cohort of people who live in the electorate of Newtown, our city and NSW, who are currently facing extremely difficult circumstances and have become very vulnerable as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can download the full letter here.

Our office has been contacted by a significant number of non-citizens who do not have any resources to support themselves and are not able to access the measures put in place for citizens or those offered yesterday by the federal government to category 444 visa holders.

As the NSW Greens Multicultural spokesperson, I feel very strongly that to ensure a cohesive society where everyone is treated equally and is able to live free from discrimination and racism, we need to ensure that wherever possible all people are able to access basic needs, services and supports without regard to their citizenship status. This is particularly important during times of crisis, and even more so during this current pandemic.

Jenny Leong MP, NSW Greens spokesperson on Housing and Homelessness is urging the Premier to put an immediate moratorium on evictions for people unable to pay rent during the Corona virus pandemic, as well as recommending a number of urgent measures to assist people who are homeless and those living in public and social housing.

Jenny Leong MP, Greens Member for Newtown today gave notice of a Private Member’s Bill in the NSW Legislative Assembly to take the action needed to protect our climate and put our community's needs first.

The Bill will immediately prohibit the approval or expansion of new thermal coal mines in NSW and prohibit thermal coal mining in NSW by 2030, making it an offence under the Mining Act after this date. The Bill also provides just transition provisions to protect workers employed in thermal coal related industries. 

Greens Member for Newtown, Jenny Leong MP said:

“We have known for decades that burning coal is the single biggest contributor to climate change. We must and we will phase out coal mining. The scientific community knows it, the emergency responders know it, the Greens know it and our community - from student strikers to regional Mayors are calling for political leadership to make it happen.

“We abhor the NSW government’s coal addiction - there are currently 14 new and expanding coal mine projects which if approved, could produce more coal and greenhouse pollution than Adani’s controversial Carmichael coal mine in Central Queensland.

“This Bill provides a pathway for the exit from coal to happen, while providing a just transition for the workers currently employed in those mines, so that no one is left without a livelihood.

“We have no doubt that NSW has to quit its addiction to coal, that the old parties need to break their toxic relationships with the big polluters and that coal mining will one day be prohibited in our state. 

Greens MP and Mining spokesperson Abigail Boyd said:

“We are a state reeling from the impacts of climate change – we have felt it, breathed it in, and grieved for it this summer. The fossil fuel industry has lost all social licence to destroy our lives, property and environment in the name of profit.

“It’s time to stop letting the fossil fuel industry push NSW around. It’s not actually hard – our Bill sets out exactly what needs to happen to phase out coal and move to renewables, without leaving workers behind. 

“The science is clear that the only way to prevent catastrophic climate change is to stop extracting fossil fuels, and to instead divert the resources currently propping up the fossil fuel industry towards the renewable energy transition.  

“Coal has had its day. It’s time for the old parties to support real action on climate change and support our Bill to end thermal coal mining in NSW.”