Today we acknowledged the community pressure that has forced the Baird Government to take action on the unfair compulsory acquisition process, and called on the Government to take further steps to ensure residents whose houses are compulsorily acquired are treated fairly. 

At 4am this morning the NSW Liberal Government snuck through legislation making it easier to sell our parks and public assets to developers. This underhanded behavior represents a new low for a Government hell bent on privatisation at all costs. 

Last week residents and protesters fighting WestConnex in Newtown and St. Peters faced off police at a drilling site and conducted a vigil as a Campbell St resident was forced to leave her home as one of the last remaining in that street due to WestConnex compulsory acquisitions. 

On Friday Oct 21, the company preparing the plan for the M4/M5 (Stage 3 WestConnex tunnel), AECOM, called the police and riot squad to remove about 30 locals who'd gathered on Holmwood Street, Newtown to protest against their impending exploratory drilling.  

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.

Today’s announcement from Premier Baird regarding the government’s compulsory acquisitions process is well short of offering landowners and residents a fair process, according to Greens Member for Newtown Jenny Leong MP.

“Community pressure on the Baird Government has forced it to respond to a multitude of serious and legitimate concerns and I congratulate those who’ve worked so hard to get action on this issue.

“While I welcome the Premier’s and Minister Perrottet’s long overdue statements on reforming the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act, we need to be clear that what has been announced today does not address the major concern of hundreds of people undergoing compulsory acquisitions right now.

The #SaveSydneyPark community camp has successfully put a halt to unauthorised tree felling by WestConnex in Sydney Park, as work on the Euston Road works site was stopped today.

NSW Greens spokesperson on WestConnex and Member for Newtown Jenny Leong MP has congratulated the efforts of the thousands of people who were a part of this nonviolent direct action to protect the award-winning and much-loved park.

"Were it not for the clear display of strength Baird’s private contractors would have gotten away with destroying many large trees and bulldozing an area of land that is owned by the City of Sydney council and over which they had no approval," she said.

Published in City Hub, 5 October 2016

By Jordan Fermanis

On Saturday October 1, protestors and partygoers descended upon Sydney Park in what was billed as a ‘protestival’. The protestival was organised by the WestCONnex Action Group and Reclaim the Streets.

The protestival came together with only a weeks notice. It commenced at 1pm, where music acts kept crowds entertained until 6pm.

The event was held not far from where WestConnex protestors have set up a tent blockade which has been running for almost three weeks.

Published in the South Sydney Herald, October 2016

This stand of trees on Euston Road next to Sydney Park has been earmarked for destruction to make way for WestConnex. Eventually the Baird government will take 14,000 square metres of the park and 350 trees including all those along the park side of Euston Road and Campbell Road as well as those along Sydney Park Road.

Community members and local anti-Westconnex campaigners were joined by Lord Mayor Clover Moore and Greens MP for Newtown, Jenny Leong, on Monday morning Sept 19 and stopped the first bulldozer destroying parts of Sydney Park. A protest campsite was established which was later raided at 3am by the Redfern police and WestConnex who pulled out the protestors who had been previously assured that they would not be moved during the night. 

However, the camp remains and is growing as more people join the campaign to Stop WestConnex bulldozers here. Join them and sign up at the protest camp on Euston Road, Alexandria (adjacent to Sydney Park) or Call our office on (02) 9517 2800 or email [email protected] for more information.

The Greens say recent revelations from a whistleblower regarding asbestos contamination in WestConnex road fill add to the alarming list of asbestos concerns about this project which have been made to the NSW Premier Mike Baird and Roads Minister Duncan Gay.

“The number of serious concerns raised over the past 12 months regarding asbestos handling and safety precautions on the WestConnex project should have raised red flags for Duncan Gay,” said the Australian Greens spokesperson for transport and infrastructure Senator Janet Rice. 

“However, Minister Gay has continuously disparaged or rebuffed claims from residents and from Jenny Leong, NSW Greens spokesperson on WestConnex, that WestConnex has been acting outside proper health and safety protocols.