Writing NSW is set to lose its ongoing state government funding at the end of this year, as part of a decision to grant just 5% of long-term arts funding to literature.

Writing NSW is the main organisation for the literature sector in our state, supporting thousands of writers each year through its courses, events, opportunities to network with industry, prizes and fellowships, and independent information and advice. It is also one of the largest employers of writers in the country, providing paid work to around 300 writers each year.

It is devastating to see the state’s main support organisation for writers and the literature sector de-funded in the middle of a global pandemic, at a time when organisations across the arts are already stretched to breaking point.

I call on Don Hawin MLC, Minister for the Arts and the NSW Liberal-National Government to immediately restore ongoing funding to Save Writing NSW.

The Murray Valley River Red Gums are under threat by the NSW Liberal-National Government.

The NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has announced he will introduce a bill in Parliament to remove protections to the conservation area of the Murray Valley National Park allowing the logging of 42,000 hectare of protected river red gum trees.

This will result in the destruction of the habitat of several threatened species and a Ramsay-listed wetland.

It would be first time in NSW history that a National Park is de-listed. This must be stopped!

I call on Premier Berejiklian and the NSW Liberal-National Government to immediately rule out any changes to the protections to the Murray Valley National Park and stand firm against logging of river red gums.

I'm angry at reports that far-right nationalists have chosen to set up their club-house in Ashfield.

There's no place for racism or sexism in Australia, let alone the inner-west. I've taken up the fight to them in parliament, but I need your help: Please add your name to the long list of inner west residents taking a stand against racism and sexism. 

Together we can send a strong message that Ashfield is for everyone. 

Only a judicial inquiry has the power to hold the secretive Sydney Motorway Corporation to account.

The project has gone from worst to worse, with the destruction of our local communities, exorbitant tolls, legal challenges to acquisitions, through to the multi-billion dollar cost blowouts. 

At every turn, the Baird-Berejiklian Government has shielded the project from proper public scrutiny by:-

• Establishing the Sydney Motorway Corporation as a private entity, effectively exempting the project from requests under the Government Information (Public Access) Act;
• Ignoring tens of thousands of public submissions;
• Refusing to release figures of patronage on the widened M4;
• Approving Stage 3 of the project without releasing detailed information on design of the Rozelle Intersection. 

A parliamentary inquiry chaired by the Rev. Fred Nile MLC is currently underway in the NSW Parliament, with the full support of the Labor Opposition and non-Government members. But its clear we need to dig deeper through a Judicial Inquiry with the full powers to hold the Sydney Motorway Corporation to account. 

I call on Premier Berejiklian and the NSW Liberal-National Government to adopt NSW Labor’s position of holding a full Judicial Inquiry into WestConnex as a matter of urgency in order to restore public confidence in the management of infrastructure projects and priorities in NSW. 

Inner West residents are opposed to this Government's reckless sell-off of the services we rely on, while spending $2.3 billion on unnecessary stadiums as a vanity project.

Residents have watched as services have been sold off, run down or outsourced, including Region 6 buses, local area commands, public housing, Petersham West St TAFE and Summer Hill ambulance station. Our schools are at capacity and our suburbs under threat from over-development.

Sign this petition to say NO to selling off our services!

Roads and Maritime Services have unveiled plans to remove bus stops on some key routes servicing Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and Petersham.

18 bus stops are slated for removal on the 412 route, 6 on the 428, 5 on the 423 and 2 on the 426. Some of the bus stops are in close proximity to nursing homes, schools and child-care centres. These are important stops serving the elderly, families, parents with prams and people with disabilities. 

I am calling for a halt to the plans to remove our bus stops!