Councillor Chris Harris

Lord Mayor Clover Moore has continued her obfuscation over Barangaroo despite finally resigning from the board of the Barangaroo Delivery Authority (BDA) after sustained pressure from the community and the Greens.  At an extroadinary Council meeting on the 24th of September she blocked my attempt to reintroduce a motion for the City to fund legal action against the BDA (for information on my first attempt to introduce this motion see this previous post). 

I had hoped that being freed from the conflicted position, in which being a Board member placed her, may have made her more interested in standing up for the community.  But alas it seems her first priority is still to the BDA, unless of course she is just refusing to change her vote in order to save face.

Sadly, it is not just Clover and the more compliant members of her ‘independent’ team that are hell bent on protecting Barangaroo from proper legal scrutinty.  Labor Councillor Meredith Burgmann also voted to support the Lord Mayor on this issue and seems to be siding with Clover more and more frequently these days.  Her support has not gone unrewarded however.  Below is a media release I recently put out on this issue.

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City of Sydney Greens Councillor Chris Harris says that Lord Mayor Clover Moore is in bed with the NSW Labor party and is seeking to expand upon that alliance here at the City of Sydney to make up for her inability to dictate the actions of her own team.  The situation came to a head at a recent Council meeting when elections for a new Deputy Lord Mayor were held.

Cr Harris  “Since the last Council election, when six out of ten Councillors were elected from the Clover Moore ‘Independent’ team, Clover has become increasingly used to getting everything her own way.  This extends to who gets elected as Deputy Lord Mayor each year.  Up until now it’s always been the person ordained by Clover to fill the role. However the team is split over Moore’s cooperation with state Labor in the gross overdevelopment at Barangaroo”

At the meeting Moore’s chosen Deputy candidate Cr Tornai was rolled by a member of her own team, Marcelle Hoff, who was supported by Greens Councillors Chris Harris & Irene Doutney, the Liberal Councillor and Clover Moore Party Councillor John McInerney.  Labor Councillor Meredith Burgmann sided with Moore and the rump of her team, leaving the vote tied. A draw from the hat secured the Deputy Lord Mayor position for Cr Hoff.

Clr Harris: “The Lord Mayor was relying on the vote of the Labor Cr Burgmann to shore up support for her candidate and I wondered what the pay-off would be. We didn’t have to wait long to find out – the day after the meeting Cr Hoff was sacked from the Board of the Sydney Festival and she was replaced by Cr Burgmann. I am tingling with anticipation about what further goodies will be offered to the Labor councillor to secure her ongoing support.

“The new Clover Moore/Labor alliance previously saw the Lord Mayor appointed to the board of the Barangaroo Delivery Authority by Premier Kristina Kennealy and now she has gained the support of the Labor Councillor to give her the majority in crucial votes at the City of Sydney Council.

“In the past few months, Clr Burgmann has sided with The Lord Mayor and the more faithful members of her team to support the interests of state Labor and Lend Lease over those of the public in relation to Barangaroo, including in a recent decision to block funding to the Environmental Defenders Office for legal action over the project.  Presumably Cr Burgmann is just following instructions but it’s less clear what Clover’s motivation is in supporting a terminal Labor government” said Cr Harris.

Post Script - following the media coverage surrounding this issue, Cr Burgmann has declined to accept the position on the Sydney Festival board, perhaps not keen to draw attention to her alliance with Clover. 

The draft planning proposal for Harold Park was presented to Council’s Planning, Development and Transport Committee On Monday 19th July.  The plan can be found here.  I have mixed feelings on the plan and when it comes back to Council next week I will support it being exhibited for community comment but will not give it an endorsement until the public have had the oppurtunity to make their feelings known and unless some of my concerns are addressed.  Below is a media release which summarises my views on the planning proposal. 

For more details on the redevelopment of Harold Park, please see this earlier post on the issue.

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Harold Park planning proposal a mixed bag 

City of Sydney Greens Councillor Chris Harris says he has mixed feelings about the newly released planning proposal for the Harold Park site in Glebe, to be considered by Council on Monday the 19th July.  “It’s great to see it committing to the site being 35% open space” he said.  “This is something that myself and Greens Mayor of Leichardt Council Jamie Parker have been demanding for some time now. I applaud the proposal for 50 affordable housing units that will form part of the Voluntary Planning Agreement and I am pleased that any bonus FSR allowance is tied to a 25% performance above the weak BASIX requirements set down by the state government. I also support the heritage listing of the Tramsheds”

However Clr Harris said he was disappointed that the maximum height of the buildings was still eight stories and that the number of apartments proposed was 1200.  “An eight storey development will not be in keeping with the predominant low rise housing stock in Glebe and Annandale. There will be issues of overshadowing and visual impact on the cherished heritage streets above the cliff tops in Glebe. I would prefer to see a height limit of around six stories.”

“I’m also concerned about the effects of 1000 plus parking spaces for residents and the possibility of hundreds more for retail & commercial development in the Tramsheds. If this plan were to be approved there would be around 1500 cars “living” in an area that currently has only a handful.  The traffic report acknowledges that key intersections are already at capacity and I find it inconceivable that these extra cars will not have an impact on an already over capacity road network. This should be a low car precinct so that it attracts people who want to live close to the city and who don’t want to own a car. Catering for endless increases in car use is not a sustainable strategy”

Clr Harris said that the City and the State Government would have to work very closely with Metotransit, the operators of the Sydney light rail service, to make sure this currently under-utilised mode of transport is accessible and attractive to the people who will live here. “The tramline right nearby creates an opportunity to reduce car use and give people a viable option for transport. Unmet private car needs can be taken up with car share and I note that the Development Control Plan requires developers to provide car share spaces.”
 
“Another concern is the open possibility of a major retailer putting a supermarket in the Tramsheds. This will lead to pressure for more car access and car parking on the site. I believe this needs to be clarified before council signs off on the planning scheme

“The proposal has some good initiatives but it is still weighted far too heavily in favour of the Trotting Club and its single minded desire to maximise the development potential and therefore the sale price of the site. The Club acquired the Tramsheds in a dodgy deal with its mates in the state government and we need to see that unwarranted benefit unwound via a bigger dividend to the community. That dividend could be delivered by reducing car use on the site and reducing the density of the residential development.”
  

Despite making numerous commitments to sustainability, Fraser’s have failed to control environmentally damaging stormwater runoff from their redevelopment of the Carlton United Breweries site on Broadway (see images).  Below is a media release on the matter that I sent out last week.  Many thanks to local sustainability expert Michael Mobbs for bringing this matter to my attention and for this article he recently published on the topic.  

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Greens Councillor Chris Harris wants the City of Sydney to issue a please explain to the Frasers Property Group after torrents of sediment laden storm water were seen leaving their development at the Carlton United Breweries (CUB) site on Broadway during recent heavy rain.  Clr Harris says that the stormwater pollution, which overflowed from the site into gutters and street drains leading to Blackwattle Bay, is completely at odds with the claims of sustainability that Fraser’s have repeatedly used in relation to the development.

Several years ago Fraser’s committed to a number of sustainability goals following litigation, organised by Clr Harris and commenced by Matthew Drake Brockman – a Sydney Law student.  Cr Harris: “These goals included the capture and recycling of rainwater from the site but Fraser’s failure to effectively manage the recent torrent of pollution casts a cloud over whether they are really serious about this. 

“It’s disappointing to see that Fraser’s feel the sustainability goals they committed to don’t yet matter because the development isn’t yet completed. It may take up to 15 years to complete and I don’t think the environment is going to wait.

“The fact that the development isn’t yet complete won’t make a lick of difference to the marine environments of Blackwattle Bay that received several million litres of sediment laden stormwater from the bare dirt at the site over the last few weeks.  Who knows what contaminants this torrent contains?  I also worry about whether or not the rain caused the heritage sewer line that runs through the site to overflow, adding raw sewage to the stormwater that Fraser’s failed to stop.” 

Clr Harris said that plans for the construction of a massive new stormwater drain prompted further questions about Fraser’s intentions for the project. 

Cr Harris: “In May this year Fraser’s announced that they were going to spend 6-7 months, working 7 nights a week, to build a new stormwater drain along 200m of Abercrombie Street.  Six months to build 200m of drain makes me think that this must be one hell of a drain.  Why would a site that’s going to be capturing most of it’s rainwater need such a huge drain?”

“Fraser’s claim to have put in additional silt traps and redirected runoff in response to the heavy rain, but attached photos show that this work was either too little, too late or both.  The same goes for the site’s holding pond, which is far too small to be effective.  “Both these examples show that the planning work put in to ensure that the site was sustainable during construction was inadequate.” Clr Harris said.

“A true commitment to sustainability starts when the first sod is turned.  It doesn’t mean you wait around for a decade while you finish building before you clean up your act.  I’ll be keeping a close eye on the CUB site now and will make sure any further episodes like this aren’t swept under the rug.” Clr Harris said.

Liberal Councillor Shayne Mallard is a big fan of Twitter - he posted 15 times during this week’s Council committee meetings.  Two of those posts in particular caught my eye because they included a couple of unfair comments about the Greens:

http://twitter.com/ShayneMallard/status/14604440665

http://twitter.com/ShayneMallard/status/14604681033

Below is a media release I sent out today responding to Councillor Mallards comments. 

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City of Sydney Councillor Chris Harris has rejected criticism of the Greens by Liberal Councillor Shayne Mallard as “Typical of the simplistic spin of his party ” following two updates Clr Mallard posted to his Twitter account during Council Committee meetings on Monday 24th May.

Clr Harris  “Clr Mallard accused the Greens of being anti-corporation after we raised concerns about Council paying fifteen thousand dollars to sign up to ‘Lightsavers’, which is an energy efficiency program that monitors the use of LED street lights and is part of an organisation called ‘The Climate Group’. The Greens expressed concerns about aligning themselves to some corporations, that are current members of The Climate Group and have operations with a poor environmental record.

“To say we’re anti-corporation is nonsense.  The Greens are happy to work with corporations that are taking active steps to reduce carbon emissions and to act as good environmental citizens. Some of the corporate members of the Climate Group however are about as far from being responsible as you can get.”

One member of The Climate Group is Duke Energy which owns and operates 20 coal fired power stations in the USA and is America’s third largest green house gas emitter.  Duke Energy has spent years and countless millions of dollars fighting the US Environmental Protection Agency in court, trying to argue legal loopholes to allow themselves to continually increase carbon emissions.

Another member is BP, which, at the same time Clr Mallard was Tweeting in its defence, was busy spilling millions of litres of oil into the Gulf of Mexico each day.  They have refused to permit scientists to carry out detailed analyses of exactly how much oil is spilling – choosing to protect their own reputation and financial interests instead of helping to find ways to stop this tragedy.

Cr Harris: “We don’t want to hop into bed with Duke Energy and BP and so we raised very legitimate concerns about the membership of The Climate Group -  City of Sydney staff are looking into the issues that I have raised. If it turns out that ‘Lightsavers’ is genuinely independent from the The Climate Group then we may support the City of Sydney joining up. If that is not the case then I will oppose spending the $15000 on membership. I’d rather use the money on some extra highly efficient LED street lights.

Clr Harris pointed out that his reservations about joining the group were not just ideological.  “The Climate Group accepts money from Duke Energy, BP and many others in the form of membership fees.” said Harris.  “When you’re funded by a company it’s in your interests to keep that company happy, otherwise you risk losing your funding.  The existence of these corporations on the membership register of The Climate Group casts doubts over its effectiveness in pursuing real climate solutions.

“On a final note I wonder if Cr Mallard was even paying any attention at committee. His website shows that he sent 15 twitter messages during the committee session. It seems unlikely that he had time to make any contribution to the debate.”

Media Release

Greens Cr. Chris Harris celebrated 10 years of Assistance Dogs Australia (ADA) at the graduation of their class of 2006.

Cr. Chris Harris, “The Greens know that human beings have always valued dogs for their friendship and protection. This bond is particularly strong for people with disabilities. You only have to look in the faces of the new owners of the four graduating ADA dogs to see it. These dogs are amazing, they pick up keys, open doors, turn lights on and off and push the button at the pedestrian crossings. The city is pleased to make Martin Place available for the graduation ceremony.

“The City of Sydney’s support for Assistance Dogs Australia is consistent with the council’s increased investment into disability access for locals and visitors alike, making it easier for people with disabilities to get around the city.” Cr. Harris said

Cr. Harris again, “What’s more, these cute, cuddly puppies not only change the lives of people with physical disabilities, they also change the lives of the people who foster them. Some of the puppies are given to prisoners to rear. This makes a huge difference to the inmates who take on a pup, which in turn then makes an enormous difference to a person with a physical disability. It’s a program where the whole community benefits - a very Greens way of solving a problem.

“As Greens Councillor and Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney, I am honoured to have been part of the celebration of an organistation that, for 10 years has helped so many Australians.” Cr. Harris said.