Acting Federal Greens leader Scott Ludlam, Greens NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon and Greens NSW transport spokesperson, Mehreen Faruqi MP, joined campaigners and community members at the SaveSydneyPark anti-WestConnex protest camp in Alexandria today.

Read in Parliament on 22 March 2016:

"I draw the attention of the House to the 12,866 individuals and non-government organisations that have made submissions to the new M5 Environmental Impact Statement [EIS] raising their concerns around the WestConnex and the new M5. I congratulate members of the local community campaign groups who worked so hard to inform the people of New South Wales and those directly affected by WestConnex about the significant and alarming impact this toll road will have on their lives and the lives of all their children and families. These groups include the WestConnex Action Group, NoWestConnex: Public Transport and the Save Newtown group.

I note that the list of all the submissions made to the new M5 EIS is over 180 pages long. This extremely large number of submissions highlights serious community concerns about this WestConnex toll road. I urge the Government to listen to them and their strong communities."

Links:

• Westconnex Action Group
• NoWestConnex: Public Transport [Facebook page]
• Save Newtown group [Facebook page]

WestConnex plans to expand Euston Road in Alexandria to 7 lanes leaving a mere 1.8 metres between the increased traffic and hundreds of residents living in apartments on Euston Road between Sydney Park Road and Maddox St.

Published in Green Left Weekly, 8 April 2017

Opponents of the $16.8bn WestConnex tollway project held a lively protest outside NSW Parliament on April 6 built around two demands: Not another cent for WestConnex; and No new tolls. 

NSW Greens spokesperson on WestConnex and Member for Newtown, Jenny Leong MP, spoke in Parliament on Wednesday 4 April 2017, to challenge the myth that WestConnex is a done deal.

Today the Government snuck through a motion supporting the construction of Stage 3 of Westconnex. The Greens will always oppose this wasteful and harmful project. 

NSW Greens spokesperson on WestConnex Jenny Leong MP has called on the Minister for WestConnex to stop pitting communities against each other with false solutions, in response to today’s announcement that the proposed mid-point tunnel site for the M4-M5 Link will be at Darley Road and not next to the Sydney Secondary College Leichhardt campus.

The community has known for a while that WestConnex stinks - but now it is having a real impact on local residents, workers and businesses.

Residents In St Peters, Sydenham, Tempe, Newtown and beyond have been suffering for two weeks because of a foul, toxic odour coming from the WestConnex construction site at the old Alexandria Landfill site next to Sydney Park. Shamefully, no real action was taken until Greens Member for Newtown Jenny Leong raised this with the Minister.

Member for Newtown Jenny Leong MP has questioned the Minister for WestConnex on his inaction regarding the foul, toxic odour emanating from the WestConnex construction site in St Peters.

“What is the point of the Minister for WestConnex, if he is failing to take proper oversight of the serious concerns around the construction of this tollroad.

“It’s unacceptable that residents have complained bitterly for two weeks directly to the Minister and various bodies, but saw no real action until I raised it with the Minister today.

Increasingly, the NSW Government and the Sydney Motorway Corporation have failed to enforce safety and compliance conditions on WestConnex work sites and recent reports of serious defects in contractor’s trucks, shows that this project is running out of control and putting us all at risk.

The NSW Minister for WestConnex, Stuart Ayres is ultimately responsible for the safety of residents and workers in relation to all WestConnex works.  He must demand that the Sydney Motorway Corporation enforce all compliance conditions and that contractors and sub-contractors conform to all road safety regulations.

We have written to Stuart Ayres seeking his urgent intervention to resolve the mounting serious health and safety concerns regarding WestConnex construction worksites and truck haulage but to date he has not responded.