Policies

Provide affordable and social housing

We need to increase the supply of affordable and public housing and reduce homelessness across the City of Sydney. I will:

Work with community housing providers to increase supply of affordable housing.
Work with developers to integrate affordable dwellings in new developments instead of just paying a levy.
Consider new models of providing affordable housing that is well integrated into the community, including repurposing existing buildings.
Consider new land policies such as public land leasing and land value recapture.
Consider building Council owned affordable housing.
Maximise the use of all City owned properties for social, business and creative purposes.

Power a clean and green economy

We need to minimise resource use, reuse as much as we can and ensure the City is continuing to lead the way in tackling climate change. I will:

Lead by example, by aggressively electrifying Council’s operations.
Establish a Residential & Small Business Green Fund to improve existing buildings emissions across the LGA.
Consider bringing forward net-zero buildings requirements in close consultation with the community.
Expand the food scraps trial to the entire LGA.
Increase green space in City of Sydney drawing on Indigenous knowledge.
Review feasible mechanisms to encourage use of less carbon intensive products, materials and services by establishing a price on carbon.

Boost small businesses and entrepreneurs

We need to create an environment where Sydney’s businesses and local industries can thrive into the future and create employment opportunities. We can do much more to encourage Sydney’s continued growth and prosperity and opportunities for employment. Engagement with industry – from small independents and start-ups to global corporations needs to be a key part of decision making at Town Hall. I will:

Work with business groups and residents to renovate our alleys and retail streets.
Review rates and levies on unoccupied shop fronts to facilitate re-establishment of businesses for a quicker recovery from COVID-19 crisis.

Improve community engagement

We must ensure genuine public consultation, and start reflecting community participation in the Council's decision-making. I will:

Enable direct representation by community and businesses in Council meetings.
Establish advisory committees representing business, LGBTQI+, creative and community interests.
Provide feedback on submissions explaining how their input was utilised.
Provide various grants to business, community and creative groups on an annual basis, through an independent and auditable process, to maximise their independence.

Make Sydney more inclusive

My team will recognise and celebrate Sydney’s diversity and create an inclusive environment for under-represented groups. I will:

Increase the presence of under-represented groups in Sydney’s statues, plaques and street/place names, including women, First Nations, LGBTQI+, Ethnic minorities and less-abled Sydneysiders.
Start by putting up a statue of Patyegarang in Dawes Point.
Work with the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council to provide an Aboriginal voice to the Council.
Promote establishment of a LGBTQI+ Pride Centre as part of the development of Oxford Street.

Support freelancers and grassroots venues

Culture is in the DNA of our city. Protecting and helping this vibrant industry as we look to recover from COVID19 will be one of our core priorities. I will:

Provide micro grants for street activation.
Create a fund to preserve our grassroots creative groups, using a streamlined micro grant process.
Provide space and funding for artists and businesses to start new ventures in all of our villages, across the whole LGA.
Create citywide programmes to make art accessible to young & disadvantaged communities.

Create a fairer, safer, healthier Sydney

We want to place community well-being, not just economic growth, at the heart of our planning system. Our vision is for a city that values community and cultural connection and equity in well-being across generations as much as the more traditional bottom-line measures like productivity and economic growth. I will:

Improve the condition of our footpaths and streets to ensure accessibility for all, especially the elderly and less-abled.
Invest in walking and cycling infrastructure including installation of a network of pedestrian and cycling count sensors.
Install a network of microclimate sensors to monitor temperature and air quality across the LGA.
Introduce Triple Bottom Line (also known as 3BL: social, environmental and financial) reporting for the Council.
Make our streets safer for women and girls.
Assist people experiencing homelessness by providing mobile basic services (hairdressing, clothes, showers, etc.) and opening up city owned properties as shelters.
Create new women’s shelters.
Protect free rates for pensioners.

Make Sydney a pet-friendly city

There's no reason why owners of well-behaved pets in Sydney can't enjoy the same freedoms as those in other major cities across the world. I will:

Encourage hotels, restaurants, cafes and shops in the City of Sydney to make pets as welcome as their owners.
Make strong recommendations to transport organisations and authorities, to allow pets to travel.
Review city and park planning to ensure there are enough fully-stocked dog waste bag dispensers and bins.
Support responsible pet ownership, focusing on health and safety education, with Council-run information services, workshops and forums.
Address the sad issue of owners no longer being able to care for their pets, with Council-run “Pet Rehoming Days”.
Review on-leash and timed off-leash areas in parks and recreational areas in the City of Sydney, to ensure fair access for everybody.

Stand for efficiency and accountability

Public trust in our political systems is crucial to upholding Australia's democratic values. We will make Council more transparent and accountable, so that residents and business-owners can see clearly how and why decisions are made. I will:

Accelerate processing of DAs and other permits monitored by transparent KPIs.
Accelerate the digitalisation of all Council processes.
Invest in and grow our Open Data initiatives including City of Sydney's Open Data Hub.
Review council planning processes to maximise flexibility in considering approvals.
Not establish any more targets without clear plans to achieve them.

Build accessible Urban Billabongs

As summers get hotter, everyone in our growing city needs access to places to meet, play, and cool off in the heat. An I will:

Build five accessible Urban Billabongs, in the form of shallow lagoons with shaded areas and trees, tracing old City of Sydney creeks and waterways.
Design the Urban Billabongs to be ephemeral in nature: sometimes full for paddling, and sometimes partly empty to make space for cultural or music events.
Create an Ochre Songline though the city, connecting the sites so that people can travel between them on foot, by bike, or using public transport.
Ensure the Urban Billabongs are accessible for all residents, honouring First Nations History while providing access to water for everybody to enjoy.