The latest WestConnex leak regarding the cost and time blow out of the WestConnex New M5 shows the urgent need for full transparency regarding this now toxic project, says NSW Greens spokesperson on WestConnex and Member for Newtown, Jenny Leong MP and Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC and NSW Greens spokesperson on Transport.

In response to the latest shameful rubber stamping approval of the next stage of WestConnex the Greens are urging the NSW Upper House to support the call for all papers relating to the sale of WestConnex.

Jenny Leong MP Member for Newtown and NSW Greens spokesperson on WestConnex:

“We know NSW Labor and the cross benchers are concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability of the Liberal/National Coalition when it comes to state infrastructure and their privatisation agenda which is why we are urging them to support the Greens Call for Papers to release all documents related to the tender and sale of the Sydney Motorway Corporation.

Responding to the latest reporting today on the NSW Government’s Local Allocation Strategy which shows that hundreds of innocent people may be excluded from accessing public housing in the inner city, Greens NSW Housing and Homelessness spokesperson Jenny Leong has questioned the motives of such a move.

“Given the recent fudging of the public housing waiting list numbers by the department, we are calling on the Minister for Family and Community Services to immediately reassure the public that this latest ‘strategy’ isn’t a cynical ploy to further reduce the waiting list without actually housing anyone.

Today’s release of the statistics on Homelessness from the ABS 2016 census data, shows that homelessness and other consequences of the lack of housing affordability are rising unacceptably in NSW, according to NSW Greens spokesperson on Housing and Homelessness and Member for Newtown, Jenny Leong MP.

The Liberal government has pushed ahead with privatisation of bus services in Sydney’s Inner West, with an announcement that the contract has been awarded to Transit Systems. Commenting on the signing Jenny Leong, MP for Newtown says:

“There has been a huge groundswell of people in the inner west demanding the buses are kept in public hands.

“Many people in the inner west don’t own a car and rely on buses as a primary mode of transport. This is an essential service that should be kept in public hands.

NSW Roads and Maritime (RMS) has released a huge but vacuous document responding to the 13,000 submissions about Stage 3 of WestConnex, including from other Government departments and local councils.

“It is extremely alarming that so many serious concerns about this project have been not been responded to in an adequate manner, said Jenny Leong MP, Greens Member for Newtown.

“There were 13,000 community submissions against this plan including detailed objections from the EPA, NSW Health, the City of Sydney and the Inner West Council – reading through the hundreds of objections and the flimsy responses is shocking.

Greens Member for Newtown Jenny Leong MP has today announced the winners of the 11 projects that were successful in gaining funding through the 2017 NSW Community Building Partnership program. This funding provides financial support for community infrastructure projects to improve the facilities used by a range of organisations and groups within the electorate of Newtown.

Jenny Leong MP said:

Responding to today’s release of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Annual Report on homelessness services NSW Greens spokesperson on Housing, Jenny Leong MP and Australian Greens spokesperson on Housing, Senator Lee Rhiannon have called for an urgent commitment to a housing first approach by state and federal governments.

NSW Greens WestConnex spokesperson and Member for Newtown, Jenny Leong MP has joined with NSW Greens Environment and Transport spokesperson, Mehreen Faruqi to call on the Premier for an immediate halt to the WestConnex tollroad after the NSW Government’s own independent peak environmental agency, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made a submission rejecting the Environmental Impact Statement for the final stage of the project as it does not have adequate information to enable an assessment.

State government plans to allow five more local councils to access Sepp 70 provisions is welcome news but needs broadening, says NSW Greens spokesperson on Housing, Jenny Leong MP and NSW Greens Local Government spokesperson, David Shoebridge MP.

Jenny Leong MP said:

“We welcome to move to increase the number of councils able to access these affordable housing provisions, but given the level of the housing crisis we can’t just be tinkering at the edges.

“This year the Greens gave notice of a bill that would allow all councils access to affordable housing provisions under Sepp 70 not just a select few.

“The greens are committed to targets which will really start to make housing affordable again and that means at least 30% affordable housing in new dwellings.