Councillor Chris Harris

The City of Sydney Council has been urged by the Greens to provide 18 weeks paid maternity leave for employees in line with an endorsement by the NSW Local Government Association.

Extending the leave from 14 to 18 weeks would show that the City of Sydney values parenting and recognises the huge investment women make to acquire degrees and skills which ultimately benefit not only themselves but the organisation that employs them.

There are very real economic benefits to be gained by an organisation in providing  paid maternity leave. It leads to increased employee productivity and loyalty and reduces recruitment and training costs as the number of employees returning to work after paid maternity leave increases. It also improves morale and job satisfaction.

We need to foster ongoing relationships with our working-mother employees that value their educational investment, hard work and career aspirations.

At the Council meeting on May 11, I asked the CEO to consider extending the maternity leave to 18 weeks in the current round of wage and salary negotiations with unions.

The Greens also want consideration to be given to establishing parental leave for supporting parents of new born and adopted children and to extend maternity leave, where legally possible, to same sex couples.

The motion below was passed unanimously at Council on Monday, May 11.

 MATERNITY LEAVE (S063668)
1. By Councillor Harris -

The City of Sydney Council:
1. Notes that maternity leave provides critical financial support to City of Sydney
employees who choose to care for newborn infants on a full time basis.

2. Notes that there are corresponding economic benefits to the City of Sydney in
retaining skilled and experienced staff, on a full time or part time basis, when staff return to work after the birth of children.

3. Notes the endorsement of 18 weeks maternity leave by the NSW Local
Government Association.

4. Requests that the CEO consider extending maternity leave from 14 weeks to 18 weeks for City of Sydney employees in the current round of wage and salary
negotiations with the Unions.

5. Requests that the CEO report to Council on additional measures the City can take to extend parental leave, such measures:

 (a) being designed to facilitate the needs and personal choices of:
     (i) the parents of a new born child – which could include the biological
         father and mother or a non-biological co-parent, such as in the case of
         same sex couples;
     (ii) persons adopting children; and
     (iii) persons who may assume the care of a child or children, for example,
          as a result of the death or incapacity of their parents;
(b) to include the option of paid leave being available in these circumstances to
parents and other parents responsible for the care of children, other than the
primary care giver. 

Election day for councils across NSW.

Details for the City of Sydney can be found here.

Norman Thompson’s article in The SMH about political donations drew some letters to the editor, shown below.

1. From Clover Moore, 27 August

Independent and transparent

Norman Thompson overlooks that the Greens use similar manoeuvres to misrepresent the cost of their campaigns, including channelling donations through head office and using taxpayer funds from the unaccountable “political education fund” (”Coming clean on donations can be a ‘dirty’ business”, August 26). The Clover Moore independent team has no well-resourced head office, receives no taxpayer funds and, unlike the Greens and other parties, our local campaign donations and costs will be directly reported.

I have consistently refused donations that could compromise my independence. Before the last council elections we accepted a donation from Living Sydney - a political organisation being wound up. It came with no conditions and the unknown sources have no ability to influence us. It was accepted in good faith, disclosed, and has been public for four years.

Clover Moore MP Lord Mayor of Sydney

2. From Lee Rhiannon, 28 August

No Green light to channelling

Clover Moore (Letters, August 27) is wrong when she alleges funding impropriety by the Greens. The Greens do not “channel donations through head office”. Each local group raises and expends its funds locally, but we are obliged by electoral law to make disclosures on a statewide basis.

The Greens do not accept donations from corporations or others with interests in development, liquor, gambling and the like. We spend the funds we receive from the NSW Political Education Fund within the requirements of the law, mostly on educational items and some on party administration. Our claims on this fund are audited and available for public scrutiny.

Lee Rhiannon, MP Sydney

3. From Chris Harris 28 August (unpublished)

Moore misleads again

According to Ms Moore, independents receive “no taxpayer funds” (letters, SMH 27th August) - this is a blatant untruth. In the 2007 state election for the seat of Sydney, Ms Moore won the election and received $17293 in public funds for her efforts. In fact any candidate in a state election who achieves 4% or more is assisted with public funds in this way - The Greens received $6790.

Ms Moore cannot avoid the fact that she accepted $30000 from Living Sydney, Frank Sartor’s old political party, which sourced a majority of its funds from developers and hoteliers. All this was on the public record for years and she should have checked this before she accepted the money.

If Ms Moore is fair dinkum she should return it immediately

Chris Harris
Greens Lord Mayoral Candidate
Chippendale

August 16th 7pm to 12:30am (numbers depending)

Please come along on 16th August to the Sydney City Greens Trivia night, for an evening of socialising and fun, trivia and fundraising.

Cost $20 per person ($10 Concession $30 Keen Green)

All enquiries and bookings (whole tables or individual seats) to willsyd@gmail.com 0415870582 add TRIVIA BOOKING in email subject please.

Drink prices are very reasonable, $10 jugs Coopers Green.

Some nibbles supplied, BYO Food welcome.

http://www.thegaelic.com/

A proposed sell-off of an Eastern Suburbs community centre by the City of Sydney Council has prompted Greens Councillor, Chris Harris, to throw his support behind a community campaign to save the much loved facility.

“The Reg Murphy Community Centre in Elizabeth Bay should be upgraded and enhanced for the local community, not used to line a developer’s pocket,” Councillor Harris said today.