Community coalition, the Sydney Alliance, launched two weeks ago where over half a million people came together at Town Hall to represent 45 different organizations across the city.
Individuals, who came from the Arab Council of Australia to the Climate Action Network, spoke out about how issues surrounding transport, social inclusion and
community health have impacted their lives.
One student told the gathering of how long it takes her to travel to university each day and the pressure this creates in her life, an experience shared by other students and workers frustrated with Sydney’s transport.
Chairperson of the Sydney Alliance, Randa Kattan, explained the purpose of a transport assembly being held in Penrith next month is to examine the limitations of existing trains, buses and ferries and how these affect Sydneysiders.
“These assemblies create awareness,” Ms Kattan said. “But we are intending to put our case to the government and we would like to work with them to create a solution to these problems. We have already had meetings with government ministers and the goal is to slow down politics and build relationships.”
The transport forum will also focus on how to make the idea of an enforceable customer service standard for public transport a reality, stipulating that people
should be able to access transport every 400 metres, wait a maximum of 15 minutes and only have to buy 1 ticket for their journey.
Anita Tang, Manager of Advocy and Policy at the Cancer Council NSW, said better transport is also important to people who need healthcare and the organisation had joined the Sydney Alliance because cancer is equally a social problem as it is a medical problem.
“There are many things which affect people with cancer, such as being socially disadvantaged,” Ms Tang said. “We recognise that addressing broader social issues can help fight cancer. People whose first language is not English can find it harder to get through the health system as well as those who do not have a lot of financial resources.”
Ms Tang also said three more listing campaigns would be held next year to address social inclusion
