Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Thursday when I left Canberra, I headed back to my electorate in Marrickville for what was a celebration hosted by the Inner West Council and local community groups Save Marrickville and Save Dully which was held at Marrickville Town Hall. It was a celebration of the reversal of the New South Wales Liberal government's decision to have its Sydenham to Bankstown Urban Renewal Strategy, which would have seen massive overdevelopment along the rail corridor of the Sydenham to Bankstown train line, which is currently slated for metro conversion. It spelt the destruction of many pockets of the inner-west heritage, character and community—houses that are single-dwelling, single storey and, in some cases, double, cleared away to make way for massive towers. The fact is that we need to increase density along rail corridors, but it needs to be done in a sensitive way that is in the spirit and, indeed, not only preserves but also enhances the character of local communities.

Local planning powers being given to Macquarie Street and taken away from the local community is not sensible policy. I pay tribute to the current Minister for Planning in New South Wales, Anthony Roberts, who was prepared to sit down with the Mayor of the Inner West Council, Darcy Byrne, and me, as the federal shadow minister for cities, and restore those planning powers to the Inner West Council and to Canterbury-Bankstown council. It will result in a much better outcome for the community. One of the things that caused such a revolt by local members of the community was the proposal of Mirvac down at Carrington Road which would have seen an old industrial area where there is just one road in and one road out, built in a flood plain, have four 35-storey towers. Within a couple of weeks of that proposal being made public, at a meeting organised by the council, Jo Haylen, the local state member for Summer Hill, and I, we packed out Marrickville Town Hall. This is a sensible proposal. There is a message here also for the development community: sit down with the local community members and work with them; don't seek to impose overdevelopment which destroys the character of local communities. Congratulations to all involved in this community campaign.