NSW State election:
Fighting for open space

"Open space, conservation, overdevelopment and traffic are major issues 
in the March 27 State election", Denis Doherty, Communist Party candidate 
for the inner Sydney seat of Port Jackson, told The Guardian.

"In these times of economic rationalism, privatisation and urban 
consolidation, no governments, local, State or Federal, are facing up to 
these issues. Instead there is rampant privatisation of public land, loss 
of open space, streets choked with cars and city air polluted and 
poisonous.

"The losers are our communities. The only winners are the developers."

"I know this at first hand," Denis pointed out. "I started the campaign for 
community ownership of the historic Drill Hall and associated open space in 
Forest Lodge and I worked with Sydney University students and the community 
in resistance to the building of a private hospital on public land next to 
our major local hospital, Royal Prince Alfred."

Denis talked about some of these issues in the Port Jackson 
electorate.

Callan Park

Callan Park is a prime example of privatisation which will take the 
ownership and the right to use public open space away from the people.

Callan Park is the local name for the Rozelle Hospital site, an oasis of 61 
hectares of exceptionally beautiful waterfront land in Sydney's overcrowded 
inner west.

It contains important heritage buildings like the Kirkbride block, now 
occupied by the Sydney College of the Arts, a 200-bed psychiatric hospital 
(now under threat of closure), the NSW Writers' Centre, an Aboriginal dance 
company, other community facilities as well as rock carvings, an Aboriginal 
midden, historic plantings and many species of animals and birds.

In November last year a well advanced plan to sell off a large area of the 
land to the Scalabrini Fathers to develop a private, profit-making 
retirement village for aged Italian members of the community was exposed.

"I personally proposed that the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney be asked to 
provide a suitable property for the Scalabrini retirement village, using 
one the Churches' empty or under-used churches, convents and schools in 
Sydney's inner west", Denis said.

Public protest stopped the sale, but the State Government has refused to 
rule out the future sale of the land and has refused to dedicate the site 
as a metropolitan regional "heritage working park".

Ballast Point

Ballast Point is an important headland on the Balmain peninsula and is the 
last of five large industrial sites to be developed.

The community has made it quite clear that it wants the site for public 
open space and Leichhardt Council has supported this, trying to buy the 
land from Caltex, the owners of the site.

However, the Walker Corporation has an option to buy and wants to build a 
large residential development on the site.

Marinas

There is strong community opposition to the development of marinas at 
Rozelle Bay and Iron Cove.

We want to keep the traditional small marine businesses and not flood the 
areas with traffic, people and boats which will increase pollution and 
pressure on services.

Rozelle Bay is also almost the last area of passive water where the rowers 
and dragon boats can practice.

White Bay

Residents in the area of the White Bay container terminal suffer from noise 
disturbance 24 hours a day. This will become intolerable if the proposal to 
expand the port from the current 60,000 containers a year to 200,000 
containers becomes a reality.

Weston Street

This is a small waterfront site between Illoura Reserve and the bus and 
ferry terminal in East Balmain. It contains a heritage listed stone 
boatshed.

Over 2,000 people signed a petition last year calling for Leichhardt 
Council to buy the site for public open space. Council agreed.

However, the developer is taking his plan to build seven large town houses 
on the site to the Land and Environment Court which is notorious for 
deciding in favour of big business over the wishes of local communities.

Camerons Cove

Camerons Cove is a small pocket of abandoned, State-owned land on the East 
Balmain waterfront. For the last ten years it has been used by the local 
people and has become a wildlife haven.

The NSW Government's Foreshore Policy states that the harbour foreshores 
are for the people but this is not happening in reality.

At Camerons Cove, the Water Police wish to establish a 24-hour operation.

Even though an earlier proposal for this to include maintenance sheds has 
been abandoned, it remains an inappropriate development which is 
unacceptable to the local community.

Action now

"There are steps which can be taken now", Denis pointed out.

"Public transport must be developed and expanded and fares charged at a 
level to ensure greater public use. All subsidies on freeways should be 
ended.

"With a developed public transport system, cars can be discouraged from 
entering the city. This will help to protect the quality of inner city air 
and reduce the health problems caused by the present massive pollution.

"We must build a replacement Sydney airport outside the Sydney Basin as 
soon as possible.

"We must protect our inner city environment by promotion of open space and 
stopping inappropriate development.

"Instead of inappropriate development, with new housing crammed in for 
profit alone", Denis stressed, "we must have more public housing, including 
good quality well-serviced government housing projects for both cheap 
rental and purchase at low interest rates.

"There must be access for low income earners and disadvantaged people as 
well as rent controls and security of tenants, especially during the 
Olympics.

New direction

In conclusion Denis said: "Neither Labor nor Liberal can solve the problems 
of the people. They've both accepted economic rationalism and never say 
`no' to the demands of big business and the developers.

"What we need is a new kind of government, a people's government which 
comes from us, is accountable to us and works for our interests. We must 
have real people's representatives in Canberra, backed up by the people in 
action outside Parliament.

"This will put us in a position to give our struggle against economic 
rationalism, privatisation, urban consolidation and inappropriate 
development some clout."