September 3, 2010
Sam Byrne, the Greens candidate for Sydney’s inner west seat of Grayndler, congratulated caretaker Minister Anthony Albanese today for winning his seat back despite a swing to the Greens of nearly 7%.
“I am elated that Grayndler is now very winnable for the Greens at the next election,” Mr Byrne said.
“Australian Electoral Commission results show Labor holds Grayndler by just a 4.36% margin from the Greens.”
“Just a few more people voting Greens next time will see Grayndler sending another Green to join Adam Bandt, the Greens MP for Melbourne, in the House of Representatives.”
“We are no longer a safe seat that can be taken for granted. Mr Albanese will have to deliver real solutions on climate change and aircraft noise or more voters will go Green at the next election.”
“The Greens now hold the balance of power in the Senate and share the balance of power in the House. We will use this power to get action on climate change, for dental care under Medicare, for compassion towards refugees and other progressive policies.”
“Thank you to all those who voted Green this time, and especially those who chose the Greens for the first time.”
“The writing is also on the wall for very close results in the seats of Marrickville and Balmain in the March 2011 NSW election.”
“We’ve been inspired by the support in the community and have already begun planning our next campaigns.”
“I want to thank all of the Greens supporters that put in such an effort over recent weeks. It’s a testament to their skill and enthusiasm that the Greens ran a shoestring campaign that still turned a very safe Labor seat into a marginal one.”
August 7, 2010
Sam Byrne, former Marrickville Mayor and the Greens candidate for the Inner West Sydney seat of Grayndler currently held by Labor’s Anthony Albanese, launched his campaign today, supported by three local Greens mayors and deputy mayors and the Greens NSW Senate candidate, Lee Rhiannon, and announced his first 10 goals if elected on August 21.
“As tenacious underdogs in Grayndler we are running a very strong campaign, and there is so much disappointment with the two old major parties out there,” Sam Byrne said.
“It’s almost 20 years since the first Greens councillor in Grayndler was elected and our list of achievements in that time in our area is a mile long.”
“Together with the community we have saved Callan Park from high rise, ensured the Dulwich Hill to Lilyfield rail line becomes a wonderful light rail, active transport and biodiversity corridor, delivered significant heritage protection in Haberfield and begun the massive job of restoring the Cooks River, and that’s just a taste of what we’ve accomplished.”
“And we are already achieving in this election campaign with announcements this week that Labor want to investigate high speed rail and will not build their planned M5 Southern Sydney Connection through Tempe’s parks and wetlands. The Greens have been a part of both of these campaigns.”
“This is an exciting election for the Greens locally and because we are seeking to reclaim a NSW Senate seat with the election of Lee Rhiannon,” Sam Byrne said.
Lee Rhiannon, Greens NSW Senate Candidate, said: “Sam brings a wealth of experience as a former Mayor with strong community links to this campaign.”
“People in Grayndler care about local issues but their outlook does not stop at the electorate boundaries.”
“The Greens’ policies on climate change, refugees and public services reflect the concerns of an increasing number of Grayndler voters.”
“The Greens are force in the Inner West and Sam will harness this energy in the coming weeks,” Lee Rhiannon said
Sam Byrne and Lee Rhiannon with a few of the local Greens Councillors
Sam’s First 10 Goals
Sam Byrne said “If elected I’ll be working with my Green Senate colleagues and the 15 Greens local councillors in Grayndler to achieve:
1. Climate Change - a price on carbon now
2. Denticare - free primary dental care for all Australians
3. Aboriginal Self-Determination - An end the Intervention and a real self-determination process
4. Sydney Airport - a replacement airport for Sydney linked to high speed rail
5. Child Care - More local child care centres
6. Refugees - an end to mandatory detention and remote and offshore processing
7. Callan Park - Federal funding to secure this site for the community forever
8. Housing - private housing market subsidies reform and a revived public housing system
9. Same Sex Marriage - marriage equality for all
10. Container Deposit Legislation - to help clean up the Cooks River and Iron Cove.”
July 30, 2010
NOTICE OF MOTION
Crs Marc Rerceretnam, L Kennedy and P Kelso
10 August 2010
Rental properties in the Ashfield municipality amount to 39.5% of all households. This is significantly higher than the Sydney Metropolitan area as a whole where only 29.7% of households rent.
In the Summer Hill North area 54.1% of households rent, 42.9% in Summer Hill South and 49.5% in the Ashfield North area. Approximately 93% of renting households in the LGA are based outside of Haberfield.
Renters come from diverse backgrounds, but especially in the Ashfield area, many are either elderly or come from a non-English speaking background. While this should not affect their rights as renters under the Residence and Tenancy Act 1991, anecdotal evidence shows that many are being exploited. This appears to be exacerbated by the fact that many Ashfield renters may not fully understand their rights under NSW law, and so are tricked into accepting conditions which are unlawful.
(more…)
July 26, 2010
June 18, 2010
Last Saturday Lee Rhiannon, the Greens NSW Senate candidate, and Sam Byrne, the Greens Grayndler candidate, for the forthcoming federal election, were busy introducing themselves to the residents of Summer Hill. There was keen interest from the Summer Hill community in meeting with both. The topics residents chose to discuss with the candidates included the inner west extension of the light rail system, the increased aircraft noise and the recently announced plans for Sydney airport, the housing development strategies for the local area (particularly in relation to the new developments planned in the area e.g., Lewisham Towers) and the mining super profit tax!
Sam will be in Ashfield and Haberfield on Saturday morning 19 June and 3 July respectively, please come along to meet with him or help out. If you would like to meet Sam in a more social environment then please join us at the Petersham Bowling Club this Sunday 20 June 4pm - all welcome.
Visit Lee’s campaign website : http://greens.org.au/leerhiannon
Visit Sam’s campaign website : http://greens.org.au/grayndler
May 28, 2010
The Inner West Light Rail Extension Study, commissioned by the Sydney, Marrickville, Leichhardt and Ashfield Councils, is out for public consultation until 7 June.
You are invited to a community meeting on Tuesday 1 June in the Michael Maher Room, Haberfield Library, 78 Dalhousie Street, to hear the Light Rail Project Director, Tim Parker outline the proposal.
Come along and have your say about the light rail.
You can find a copy of the study at www.transport.nsw.gov.au. Hard copies are also available at the library. Submissions can be sent to lightrail@transport.nsw.gov.au.
For more information contact Lyall Kennedy, Deputy Mayor, Ashfield Council direct on 0422 286 345 or email lyall_k@bigpond.net.au.
May 21, 2010
NOTICE OF MOTION
Cr Marc Rerceretnam
Ashfield Council officers have to be commended for their efforts to date on mitigating the problems associated with increasing traffic running through the municipality. While there are still problem areas, (to the layperson) traffic appears concentrated to specific arterial and major routes such as Liverpool Rd, Parramatta Rd, Frederick St, Elizabeth St, Prospect Rd, Croydon and Wattle Roads. However there are some streets, in the midst of local neighbourhoods, which have been exposed to heavy increases in traffic flows and especially dangerous speeding.
To mitigate these practices Council has, in the past, used speed deterrents such as speed humps. One such set of speed humps were built in the early 1990s to prevent speeding traffic through Holden and Palace Streets. This was done after representations from local residents were made to council.
However in early 2010, these same speed humps were removed as part of a council traffic trial of that area. Unfortunately local residents were not informed of this.
Up to that point, residents were extremely happy with how the speed humps were working.
I therefore move:
That Council commend and recognise the positive efforts of council officers on mitigating excessive traffic running through the Ashfield municipality to date.
2. That any further Council sanctioned traffic trials involving the removal of existing speed humps, not proceed until local residents and ward councillors are first consulted.
3. That council officers re-examine policy regarding the scaling back on the reliance on speed humps in the municipality.
April 19, 2010
The Greens have pre-selected former Mayor of Marrickville Sam Byrne to
be their candidate in the inner western Sydney seat of Grayndler at
the forthcoming Federal election.
Mr Byrne will be standing against
Labor factional warrior and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport,
Regional Development and Local Government, Mr Anthony Albanese.
“The Greens will be running hard this election on the issues where the
Labor Government has failed and the Liberal Party are the same or
worse,” said Mr Byrne.
“The most fundamental failure of Labor has been with their carbon
emissions trading scheme, which was nothing more than a
massive taxpayer subsidy to the worst carbon emitters in the country.
“Greens senators attempted to engage with the Labor Government to move
Australia toward much greater carbon emissions reductions than the 5%
proposed, but they preferred negotiating with the Liberal Party.
“By moving towards the Liberals, Labor moved away from talking with
the community on the desperate need to confront this issue nationally
and internationally. Labor has failed in its task of leadership on
what will be the defining issue of this century.
“Labor has played both sides of the fence on refugees, on the one hand
making some genuine progressive moves in removing the use of Temporary
Protection Visas, and on the other hand maintaining expensive and
punitive offshore refugee centres at Christmas Island and pressing the
Indonesian Government to hold refugees in camps where they can live
for years without hope of settlement in a host country.
“This is inhumane and undermines the ability of Australia to play a
progressive and honest role in resolving international conflicts.
“Locally Mr Albanese has allowed the privatised Sydney Airport to
continue to operate in a way which causes significant suffering for
residents of the Inner West and Sydney generally. Surely it is not the
role of government to look after the interests of private operators
over those of the community?
“I am honoured to be representing the Greens in the area in which my
family and I have lived for many years. The Greens will continue to
speak out on the issues of vital concern to our future,” said Mr
Byrne.
Sam Byrne can be contacted on 0408 231 509
March 12, 2010
Ashfield Greens have been meeting at the Summer Hill Community Centre 10 years this March. Their first meeting was held at the old Summer Hill Community Centre on 29 March 2000 with Greens MP Ian Cohen and ten local people in attendance, including three of our current active members, Indi Bell, Julie Foreman and Col Jones. The group have come a long way since then becoming very active in the local community and helping to promote environmental sustainability. The Greens had three Ashfield Councillors elected in 2004 and again in 2008. The group celebrated their anniversary holding a discussion forum on the future of electricity.
NSW Greens MP John Kaye attended the Ashfield Greens forum to congratulate the group on its tenth anniversary.
Dr Kaye told the forum that NSW government plans to build two new coal fired power stations would increase the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent. Dr Kaye said: “The NSW government is treating scientific and community concern about the effect of climate change with contempt. With the rest of the developed world working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the government risks making NSW an international pariah.
“A clean energy future will do more than reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the environment.
“It will bring job and energy security and help keep power bills lower,” Dr Kaye said.
For further information on John Kaye’s No New Coal campaign please refer to : No New Coal Campaign Website
NSW Greens MP Dr John Kaye congratulating Indi Bell (left) and Julie Foreman
February 27, 2010
Mike was the lynchpin of our group, then SHAG, during a critical period of transition, from around the time when our first three Greens were elected onto Ashfield Council in 2004 and during the challenging period after, until he moved away in 2006. During his time with us he took on the positions of Convenor of our group as well as manager of campaigns that ranged from Federal to Local Government By-Elections.
Mike put his heart and soul into everything he did, and he is inextricably linked with our success and growth during that period. He had strong leadership and communication skills, yet was unassuming and willing to step in at every level that was required. At a personal level he was caring, supportive and engaging, displaying as much concern for those he interacted with as the work he gave his time and energy to. These qualities made him not only much liked but enabled him to garner the support he needed. His tragic and untimely death at 52 is a huge loss to those who knew him, to the Greens and to progressive causes everywhere.
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