Sep 19

Climate Strike Sydney – Tomorrow our children call us out for the good of the damaged planet we bequest them

The local event for this world wide strike against global stupidity is on TOMORROW Friday 20th September from 12pm to 2pm in the Domain, Art Gallery Road, Sydney.

School Strike for Climate Action

At 12 noon students will strike for action on climate change. (image from ACF)

From 1.30pm, the rally will progress to Hyde Park north along Macquarie and Elizabeth streets.

Sep 17

Greens Councillors Murray Matson and Lindsay Shurey: lively debate expected at Randwick Council meeting on proposal to create new Heritage Conservation Area in Coogee – 17th September 2019

UPDATE: 18th September 2019

Last night Randwick City Councillors voted to create the Edgecumbe Estate heritage conservation area in Coogee along Dudley and Brooks Streets and specifically identify a number of dwellings within the area as local heritage items.

After the meeting dissenting Councillors Anthony Andrews (independent), Alex Luxford (Labor) and Harry Stavrinos (Liberal) lodged a rescission motion. This will require the proposal to be debated again at the next Council meeting.

If this rescission motion is successful these Councillors have flagged that they will then  put the following motion . “That Council delete 148 Brook Street  Coogee from clause (a) and add a clause (c) that an independent peer review be commissioned in relation to 148 Brook Street Coogee.”

Coogee residents will recall that 148 Brook Street was the site of a contentious confrontation between residents and a work gang attempting to strip out the internal fittings of the building. Residents outraged as ceiling and carpets stripped out of Coogee dwelling being assessed for heritage protection by Randwick City Council – 8th December 2018
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Sep 16

Randwick Councillor Philipa Veitch: Give a voice to the concerns West Ward residents and businesses have about flagged changes to Kingsford and Kensington bus routes when CSELR light rail starts – 16th Sept. 2019

UPDATE: 19th September 2019

Councillor Veitch’s motion was successful at the 16th of September 2019 Randwick City Council meeting with amendments  to extend the requested consultation to all bus services in the Council area.

302 Bus Route in West Kingsford and West Kensington

Councillor Philipa Veitch wants to give a voice to locals worried about how the 302 and 303 bus routes will change after the CSELR light rail starts.

RESOLUTION: That Council:

  1. Convene a public meeting and invite the local traffic committee to allow local residents and business owners to raise any concerns regarding proposed changes to bus routes in the South Eastern Suburbs and the LGA; and
  2. Request that the Minister for Transport, Andrew Constance:
  1. Consult with Council and residents regarding proposed changes to bus routes in the South Eastern Suburbs;
  2. Convene a meeting with RCC, residents and business owners to discuss concerns regarding:
  • Proposed bus route changes;
  • Changes to the 302/303 route, that disadvantage residents in West Kingsford and West Kensington;
  • Increase in distance between stops North/South along Anzac Pde and East/West along Todman and Barker;
  • Additional bus routes in the Randwick LGA;
  • Accessibility issues raised by the above

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Sep 16

Randwick Councillor Philipa Veitch – fights for noise and light relief for Doncaster Avenue and other Council residents impacted on by the CSELR and its Stabling Yard – 16th September 2019

UPDATE: 19th September 2019

Councillor Veitch’s motion seeking a fair deal for residents still being impact on by the construction of the light rail line through Kensington and Kingsford was successful at the 16th September 2019 Randwick City Council meeting .

The stabling yards of the CBD to South East Light Rail under construction in 2018.

Greens Councillor Philipa Veitch is continuing to lobby for residents of Doncaster Avenue where homes back on to the Stabling Yards of the CSELR (here pictured in 2018)

RESOLUTION: That Council:

  1. Acknowledges that many residents within the Randwick LGA continue to experience adverse impacts from the construction and testing of the CSELR, which has affected their health, well being, property and amenity;
  2. has resolved to support these residents and make requests to the Minister for Transport, Minister for Planning and other entities since September 2015;
  3. request that the Minister for Planning and Environment mandate the provision of reasonable and feasible noise mitigation in the form of air-conditioning and double glazing to affected residents in accordance with B5(l), B10, B(13) and B89b(xv) of the Infrastructure approval;
  4. request that the agreed planting of bamboo on the easement between Doncaster Ave properties and the acoustic wall be commenced as soon as practicable;
  5. request that visual screening blinds be offered to Doncaster Ave residents affected by light pollution from the stabling yard; and
  6. request that the Minister for Planning and Environment, the Minister for Transport, and a representative from the Environmental Protection Authority attend a meeting with RCC, residents and business owners to discuss their concerns.

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Greens MP Adam Bandt and former Liberal leader John Hewson call for Parliamentary vote on Climate Emergency declaration – 12th September 2019

UPDATE OF: Greenpeace Australia claims today the Australian Federal Parliament is about to vote on declaring a Climate Emergency – 11th September 2019

The email below was circulated by Federal Greens MP Adam Bandt today calling for Labor and the Liberals to join the Greens, former Liberal leader John Hewson and the federal parliamentary backbench in declaring a Climate Emergency.

Federal MP's John-Hewson, Zali Steggall, Adam Bandt and Andrew Wilkie call for declaration of Climate Emergency Sept 2019

Federal MP’s John-Hewson, Zali Steggall, Adam Bandt and Andrew Wilkie are calling for a declaration of Climate Emergency by the Australian Parliament.

I’m excited to share that our campaign calling on Parliament to declare a climate emergency has taken a massive step forward, with the crossbench joining today with former Liberal leader John Hewson to call on Parliament to declare a climate emergency.

Will you join our campaign asking for Parliament to declare a climate emergency? Now it’s up to Labor and Liberal to join us. We’re confident we can get this motion passed, but it’s up to all of us to make sure they hear the message loud and clear that they want Parliament to declare a climate emergency.

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Sep 11

Greenpeace Australia claims today the Australian Federal Parliament is about to vote on declaring a Climate Emergency – 11th September 2019

An extraordinarily email is being sent around apparently from Greenpeace stating that Australia maybe preparing to declare a Climate Emergency. Is it a hoax? Or is it real?

BREAKING: Australian Parliament to vote on climate emergency.

Greenpeace Australia is claiming that the nations’ Federal Parliament is about to vote on declaring a Climate Emergency.

Sep 10

Randwick Greens Councillors support the School Strike 4 Climate organised for September 20th 2019 in Sydney

On a motion from Greens Councillor Philipa Veitch Randwick City Council has voted to support the climate-emergency strike organised by students around the world including Sydney.

School Strike for Climate
Friday, Sept 20, 2019 – 12:00 PM
The Domain, St Marys Rd, Sydney
#ClimateStrike

Councillor Veitch urges the broader community to support their local students who choose to attend the strike.

“People all over the world will use their power to stop ‘business as usual’ in the face of the climate emergency. Concern about the unfolding climate crisis is particularly high among young people, who will be the ones living longest with the impact of climate policy being made now.

Enter your postcode to find your nearest School Strike for Climate on Sept 20th. (source www.schoolstrike4climate.com/sept20)

Students are asking everyone, young and old, to join the strikes. Local councils have an important role to play in showing that they support students in their community standing up for their future, and also in calling on adults to stand with them.”

She draw attention to how local Councils are leading the Australian governmental response to adverse climate change. She says:

“Current advice suggests there are fewer than 12 years to limit the worst impacts of climate change. Whether we succeed or not will have far reaching implications for local councils. We know that councils are leading government responses in Australia by taking strong steps from limiting carbon emissions, supporting residents to reduce their carbon and waste impacts, and adapting infrastructure to a changing climate.”

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Sep 07

Philipa Veitch: Greens Councillor motion – Submission to the  Parliamentary Inquiry into Sustainability of Energy Supply and Resources in NSW – 7th September 2019

As a result of a motion from Greens Councillor Philipa Veitch Randwick City Council will make a submission to a NSW Government sustainable energy inquiry supporting the attaining of net zero emissions in NSW by 2030 and expressing concern over the impact of coal mining.

Randwick City Council will be making a submission supporting  sustainable energy goals to the NSW parliament  following a  motion from Greens Councillor Philipa Veitch.

Resolution to Councillor Veitch’s successful motion to the Randwick City Council meeting of the 27th of August 2019.

That Randwick City Council make a submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Sustainability of Energy Supply and Resources in NSW, including discussion of Council’s:

  1. Support for a state-wide goal of net zero emissions by 2030 (as per the RCC motion to the 2017 LG conference motion, and subsequent conference resolution);
  2. Strong concern regarding the impact of coal mining and emissions from coal fired power stations on the climate, the environment, human health and water security;
  3. Strong support for economic and other initiatives to assist regional communities and workers that may be affected by changing energy and resource markets.

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Sep 05

Murray Matson: Greens Council motion to Local Government NSW 2019 Annual Conference – Financially stimulating the emergence of an effective waste recycling industry in NSW – 5th September 2019

Randwick Greens Councillor Murray Matson wants this year’s Local Government NSW Conference (LGNSW) to call on the State Government to allow Councils to use the waste levy imposed on them to fund domestic markets for Australia’s waste.

If the state Government is serious about reducing the waste stream to our dwindling land fills it should give us Councils back some of the Waste Levy they extract from us.

Below is the full resolution to Councillor Matson’s “Financially stimulating the emergence of an effective waste recycling industry in NSW” motion (seconded Greens Councillor Lindsay Shurey) that he successfully put to the Randwick City Council meeting of the 27th August 2019:

That NSWLG continues to note the limited domestic recycling options available in Australia for waste products as a result of the declining international market and responds by liaising with the NSW State Government to establish a fair and reasonable formula for the redirection of the Government’s share of the domestic waste levy back to Councils to enable Councils to:

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Sep 03

Lindsay Shurey – Greens Council motion: Working towards a plastic bag free Randwick City Council LGA – 3rd September 2019

Randwick Greens Councillor Lindsay Shurey is positioning her NSW council to become plastic-bag free.

Lindsay Shurey - Randwick City Greens Councillor in North Ward

Greens Councillor Lindsay Shurey is aiming at making Randwick City Council plastic bag free.

Below is the full resolution to Councillor Shurey’s “Working towards a plastic bag free Randwick LGA”  motion that she successfully put to the Randwick Council meeting of the 27th August 2019.

That:

  1.  Consistent with Council’s commitment to reduce single use plastics within the Randwick LGA, and consistent with other Councils across Australia, that Council develop a business education campaign to encourage local businesses to move towards a plastic bag free environment; and;
  2. The campaign be funded from existing waste education budgets.

Councillor Shurey stated before the vote:

“We are constantly being made aware of the danger to the environment that plastic bags present. As a coastal Council we should be more responsible for the amount of plastic that is washed into the sea around us.”