Clover launches campaign on planning laws

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has instituted an urgent awareness-raising campaign to inform residents that time is almost up to make submissions to the NSW Government’s reviews on local government and planning laws.

In an Extraordinary General Meeting of the City of Sydney Council last Tuesday, Ms Moore proposed to inform residents that their chance to make submissions to the NSW Planning White Paper and the Independent Local Government reviews close this Friday, June 28.

“Sydneysiders can decide whether we have an amalgamated ‘super Sydney Council’ which will grow to nearly 800,000 residents or [if] we retain local government with local representatives,” said Ms Moore.

“Sydneysiders can decide whether they want a planning system that gives them a fair say, or one that puts developers’ interests ahead of the community,” she said.

Council endorsed Ms Moore’s Lord Mayoral Minute calling for the awareness-raising campaign.

Ms Moore told City News: “I’ll be writing urgently to each resident with information about the reviews and how they can make their voices heard.”

However, not all councillors agreed with the Lord Mayor’s actions.

Liberal Councillor Christine Forster and Living Sydney Councillor Angela Vithoulkas voted against the Lord Mayoral Minute, while Liberal Councillor Edward Mandla excused himself from the chamber.

While Ms Vithoulkas was broadly supportive of the Lord Mayoral Minute, she introduced an amendment seeking “fair and equitable” representation from all councillors in the campaign.

The amendment was not carried, leading Ms Vithoulkas to opine: “The Lord Mayor is making this issue about local government and planning reforms all about her, with her personal branding, making it look like she’s the only one who cares.”

Ms Moore said more information and links to the online submissions were available at her website, www.clovermoore.com.