Clover Moore AO’s Post

Welcome to the 2024 class of international students! Every year I host an official welcome to Sydney for our new cohort of international students. The last few years have been quiet affairs given the impact of the pandemic, but last night I was proud to welcome 650 students from 85 countries. International students enrich Sydney with their cultural heritage, language, and traditions. We host this welcome to help form new social bonds and link students with essential service providers. There are now 192,000 students from more than 180 countries here. I hope every student feels at home in their new city, and forms a life-long connection with Sydney and Australia.

Last night I was excited to launch the 24th Biennale of Sydney – a vibrant celebration of contemporary art! The theme of this festival – Ten Thousand Suns – explores joy and celebration as forms of resistance. It affirms the life of people who have been subjugated, colonised and driven from their lands. From the Art Gallery of NSW to the Museum of Contemporary Art to the stunning revival of the White Bay Power Station, Sydney provides a wonderful setting for this incredible showcase of culture. The City of Sydney is proudly sponsoring Biennale with $1.3 million this year, which will help an estimated 750,000 visitors enjoy the transformative power of art. Plan your visit: www.biennaleofsydney.art

I know the biodegradable glitter has long since settled and been cleaned up, but I'm still thinking about the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras! I proudly marched in the 46th Mardi Gras parade alongside Alex Greenwich MP. It's been an honour to march in the parade since the '80s, and since 2013 with Alex. It was also wonderful to have City of Sydney and Qtopia Sydney floats either side of us, the latter capping off a remarkable week in which they officially opened their brand new centre. But as we passed the tens of thousands lining the streets, and met the wonderfully dressed parade participants waiting to embark, I couldn't help but notice a sense of sadness and struggle concealed beneath the happiness and joy. It has been a difficult few weeks for the LGBTIQA+ community, and the grief, fear, anger and sadness doesn't simply get washed away by one night of glamour and glee. However, if there's one thing I know about the LGBTIQA+ community, it's an unwavering resilience. Even though another Mardi Gras has come and gone, the fight for equality will continue each day.

We have officially begun construction work on the Oxford Street West Cycleway! 🚧 🚲 Oxford Street is currently our most popular street for riding. But it also has the most reported bike crashes of any street in our area. This dedicated cycleway will give thousands of people confidence to safely get around on two wheels. This important project will also calm traffic, create a buffer that makes the footpath more pleasant and increase the number of people using the street, all of which will make Oxford Street an even more vibrant part of our city. We expect the work between Taylor Square and Castlereagh Street to be complete by the end of the year, weather and other conditions permitting. Thanks for your patience while we complete this crucial link in our safe cycling network.

It's 24 hours until the Mardi Gras Parade! 🏳️🌈💜🏳️⚧️ The past two weeks have been particularly hard for our LGBTIQA+ communities, giving even greater weight to this important celebration of queer love, culture and struggle. Featuring hundreds of dazzling floats and performances, Oxford Street is covered in rainbows as we get ready for the biggest event on the LGBTIQA+ calendar. If you're coming into the city for the parade, plan ahead and pack essentials like water, snacks, a poncho (no umbrellas) and comfortable shoes. I look forward to seeing you there. Happy Mardi Gras! 🌈✨

Today’s another day of sweltering heat in Sydney, with the mercury heading to 40 degrees. We’re living in a climate emergency – with temperatures like today predicted to occur twice as often by 2090, according to new data from the Climate Council. After a decade of inaction by successive federal governments the situation is dire. At the City of Sydney, we declared a climate emergency in 2019, to embed climate action in every decision we make. 🍃 Certified carbon neutral since 2011 (first government to achieve this status) ♻️ 100% of City operations are powered by renewable electricity ☀️ Installed rooftop solar on 45 City buildings 🌳 One of the only councils in Australia to increase tree canopy cover 🧊 Publicly accessible places for respite, like pools and airconditioned libraries 🎯 Ambitious targets to be net zero and increase trees by 50% 🚨 Constantly demanding the Federal and State Governments to do better. Today's data is worrying, but there is plenty we can do both individually and collectively to reduce the impact of climate change. I'll put some helpful links in my comments.

It's always a great day when you can spend time with pets at work! We know pets bring many mental and physical health benefits. They’re vital companions and much-loved members of the family. I have long been a strong advocate for creating a pet-friendly city and support the integration of pets into more aspects of our daily life. It was Alex Greenwich MP and my absolute pleasure to help open Amazon Australia’s Dog Playground, an exciting innovation and an example I hope other companies follow, helping make our city as furry friend friendly as possible. Particularly in the inner city where people don’t have big backyards to let pets roam during the day, flexible and inclusive policies that welcome pets into the workplace are a huge help. Bessie told me she had a wonderful time!

There’s a few more hours to have your say on the future of Barangaroo. The City stands firm in its objections to the current proposal. We believe it's crucial to refer it to the Independent Planning Commission. Here are some of the reasons why: 🏢 Height and floor space: Proposed heights and floor space remain excessive, impacting public views and solar access to Hickson Park. 🏠 Residential: While we support increased housing, it must come with public benefits (including Affordable Housing and genuine open spaces). We want a mix of apartment sizes to contribute to housing supply. 🌳 Hickson Park: We oppose any reduction in size. 🎭 Community/cultural: We support increased cultural floor space but think there needs to be flexibility for various uses so the precinct can be activated. 🌿 Public open space: Proposed streets and laneways do not compensate for lost public open space. Public places (like parks) must be prioritised. 🌅 Public views: Protecting important public views between Observatory Hill/Millers Point and across the harbour is essential. 🚗 Car parking: Basement areas and car parking rates must be reduced to accommodate more greenery. Private car usage must be discouraged given the proximity to a new Metro station and in line with the development's sustainability objectives. Central Barangaroo is the final piece of public land to be redeveloped at Barangaroo and the last opportunity to get it right. I'll put the link in my comments for you to have your say.

This is shocking news. For the many people in Sydney who live in apartments, parkland serves as their backyard, their space to exercise, play, walk the dog or unwind. Wentworth Park sits in the middle of one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in Australia and is dominated by a greyhound racing track. This parkland should be for the benefit of the community, not an industry that has admitted to killing up to 17,000 healthy dogs each year, has been shown to live-bait, and causes problem gamblers real suffering. We welcomed the former Government's commitment to return Wentworth Park to the public. The City of Sydney has already conducted early consultation and we have begun a new masterplan for community use of this prime inner city land. It would be bitterly disappointing if the Government backed down, indicating the greyhound industry is more important to them than the community of Pyrmont/Ultimo. We are not going to solve the housing crisis without more housing and we can’t expect people to live well in higher density without improved public amenity – including access to parkland and recreational space. The NSW Government is intent on delivering extra housing density, but it must recognise this additional housing requires infrastructure and open space to ensure growing suburbs are liveable. Read more in The Sydney Morning Herald here: https://lnkd.in/gv5Wt8xS And read about our matersplanning for the parkland here: https://lnkd.in/gfyme9bt More space for community sport. More parkland. No more greyhound racing in the City of Sydney.