Contractors have begun cutting down trees in Sydney Park, as part of the WestConnex project.

Greens Member for Newtown Jenny Leong MP joined community members at the Save Sydney Park Camp, where one resident is stationed in a tree in an act on nonviolent direct action.

Published in Central Sydney, 2 November 2016

Last month, Central Sydney exposed the 370 route — which runs between Leichhardt and Coogee via Glebe and Newtown — as one of the worst in the state.

Reports that Police have arrested three residents taking part in nonviolent direct action at Holmwood St in Newtown today are cause for serious concern for our community.

Member for Newtown and spokesperson on WestConnex Jenny Leong MP says that people have a right to engage in peaceful protest.

“Local residents were peacefully protesting at the site when contractors shamefully built a fence around them. It’s not the first time we’ve seen dodgy tactics like this used by private contractors doing the Baird government’s dirty business,” she said.

Published in the South Sydney Herald, September 2016

Recently, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, over 150 people from across Sydney gathered to launch a unique solar energy project that brings together the beer brewing expertise of Young Henrys with the solar energy knowhow of Pingala.

It’s a special collaboration – not just because it will deliver ‘solar powered beer’ – but because it allows community members to come together to invest in small-scale renewable energy.

Published in City Hub, 28 April 2016

“Don’t just take pictures, come and join us!” protesters implored to onlookers as the ‘Keep Newtown Weird & Safe’ Reclaim the Streets rally marched down King Street on a dark Saturday afternoon. A mix of beards, dresses and dreadlocks paraded as mobile speakers blasting tunes kept the rally in step.

The Greens believe that Sydney can be a safe, vibrant, open, 24-hour, global creative city.

Innovative, integrated policies can reduce alcohol related violence without negatively impacting on Sydney’s creative communities and night-time economy. What's needed is a collaborative response that brings together stakeholders and community members to address issues of alcohol-related violence.

While we welcome the decrease in assaults and hospitalisation that has occurred since the lockouts were imposed, we believe that equally positive results could be achieved through alternative policies.

Blanket lockout laws are punitive and too broad-reaching. They place onerous restrictions on everyone, including the vast majority of people who act in a responsibly. There have been negative impacts on venues, small businesses, and Sydney’s live performance community have.

It's clear that there were problems with violence and antisocial-behaviour in areas of Sydney that needed to be addressed. The lessons that we need to learn from the experiences in Kings Cross and the CBD are about the failure to properly regulate licenced premises and integrate necessary infrastructure. By minimising the constraints on the alcohol industry, Sydney developed the worst of all possible mixes and densities of venues.

The lockout policy did not address a core problem in NSW: that the alcohol lobby retains too much influence over public policy.

The Greens will continue to advocate for a response to alcohol-related violence that learns from the experience of other global cities; that involves comprehensive community consultation; that directly addresses the individuals and venues involved in anti-social behaviour; and that allows Sydney to thrive as an internationally recognised, 24-hour city that encourages creativity, entrepreneurship and  community use of public spaces.

Background to the Sydney CBD and Kings Cross Lockouts

In January 2014, then‐Premier Barry O'Farrell recalled parliament to pass legislation that put in place 1:30am lock outs and 3:00am last drinks for venues in the Kings Cross Entertainment Precinct and the Sydney CBD. It also imposed a 10pm curfew on takeaway liquor sales.

The NSW Coalition Government responded to issues of alcohol-fuelled violence and anti-social behaviour with a heavy handed law and order approach, supported by the Labor opposition.

The Greens voted against the legislation, as we believe that innovative, integrated policies can reduce alcohol related violence without negatively impacting on Sydney’s creative communities and night-time economy.

While we welcome the decrease in assaults and hospitalisation that has occurred since the lockouts were imposed, we believe that equally positive results could be achieved through alternative policies that do not have adverse impacts on the broader community.

The Greens welcome any reduction in violent crime but how this is achieved needs to be balanced with other impacts.

The lockouts have had a negative impact on our creative communities, live music venues, our night-time economy and our vibrant nightlife. They also unfairly punish the vast majority people in our community who act responsibly.

Local Impacts in Newtown

In the wake of the implementation of the Sydney CBD and Kings Cross lockouts, visitor numbers to Newtown increased and anecdotally we could all feel that things were changing (and not necessarily for the better!) In response, our office initiated a collaboration between the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre and the Newtown Business Precinct Association.

This began with a well-attended public meeting and then resulted in the establishment of the Newtown Vibe Roundtable – co-convened by the Member for Newtown and the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre and involving representatives from the local police, the Newtown Business Precinct Association, the Newtown Liquor Accord, ACON, local councils and local residents. The Roundtable draws on the vast local knowledge of participants and has been able to implement effective local strategies to address anti-social behaviour, as well as ensure that communication about potential risks is shared.

While there has been an increase in visitor numbers to Newtown, there has not been a corresponding increase in reported violent incidents. It has been a positive local strategy that has shown that it is possible to keep venues open late without compromising on safety.

Read Protecting the Vibe - A Report from the Newtown Vibe Roundtable - March 2017
Produced by the Office of Jenny Leong MP, the Member for Newtown, and the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre, in collaboration with Newtown Vibe Roundtable Participants

Further information

• Read more about the Greens’ alternatives to lockouts.
• Watch Greens MP Jenny Leong asking former Premier Mike Baird to acknowledge that there are measures other than lockouts that can reduce violence and also keep Sydney open.
• Read Greens MP Jenny Leong’s op ed on the Sydney lockout laws in the SMH.
• Read about how local initiatives in Newtown are tackling problems with alcohol related violence in the City Hub.

Member for Newtown Jenny Leong has responded to today’s story in the SMH on a City of Sydney report on late-night pedestrian numbers throughout Sydney.

The report notes a large decrease in nighttime foot traffic through Kings Cross and the CBD, and a sharp rise in pedestrian numbers in Newtown.

Media Release

Residents on and around Alice St in Newtown are celebrating after the Land and Environment Court refused an appeal by the development company Al Maha to expand their Alice St development.

Al Maha’s Development Application (DA) to add additional storeys to the block was refused by Marrickville Council twice earlier this year. Both Council and surrounding residents are concerned that development beyond the approved 5-storeys will be too high-density for the area, where public space, amenities and public transport are already under pressure.

Celebrating the Humans of Newtown book launch. 

This opinion piece by Jenny Leong appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on August 5th 2015.

Some of my first experiences of Sydney, as a newly arrived teenager from Adelaide, came in the early hours of the morning. As a waiter in Circular Quay, our nights out began when others were starting to wind down.

Dancing in the Cross, playing pool at the Oxford, walking out of the Imperial to see the sunrise over Erskineville - these are all part of why I love this city.

These days my late-night struggle for a cab tends to start after long parliamentary sittings rather than nights out. But I love the late-night culture of Sydney, and Newtown in particular. I don't want to shut it down and lock it up.

That said, it must be acknowledged that the "vibe" in Newtown is changing. It's clear the law and order response that imposed lockouts on Kings Cross has had a significant impact on the area and on Sydney's nightlife.