Clover Moore"KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING"
Party INDEPENDENT
Form Alderman of South Sydney Council since 1980, in parliament since
1988, first publicly elected female Lord Mayor in 2004, regular theme
of a float at Mardi Gras
How successful have you been these
past four years as Lord Mayor? Three different financial and planning
systems and cultures had to be untangled and united. I wanted a
progressive team that was open and accountable and it took time to get
it. Example? Redfern Park, which we re-opened last week. Shutters coming
down off shops, telegraph wires and barbed wire gone and The Bower Bird
at Regent and Redfern streets - first of many public artworks - all lit
up in red and green! Surely there are bigger issues facing Sydney than public art? Public
transport is the top issue facing Sydney. People need to get in and out
of the city but when they're here they need light rail in a city loop
and beyond. Beyond? Well the problem is the zoning changes poured people into high
density housing in places like Waterloo and Barangaroo without
adjoining public transport. Light rail and subsidised rail has to
connect them with Green Square and continue out west via the SCG and SFS and out east along Oxford Street. Unless Meredith Burgmann gets her way and kicks you out... When Meredith
was president in the legislative council, she did lunch and The Ernies
- nothing more than that. I'm not aware of her ever taking up any city
issue. And while she was out lunching, her party introduced 24-hour
trading and pokies in hotels and a planning legislation disallowing
residents a say in their neighbourhood while doing precious little
about public transport or sustainability. She claims your being a state member and Lord Mayor is a conflict of
interest... Interesting she says that when her niece, Verity Firth, is a
councillor and now minister for climate change with four portfolios!
It's very empowering for Sydney that I can oppose as Lord Mayor on
Monday some of the appalling planning laws approved by Frank Sartor and
then talk about it in parliament on Tuesday. Anyway, 30 of the 80 lord
mayors since 1842 have been members of the legislative assembly or
council and members of the parties. It's a long tradition. And so is muck raking. After 28 years in public life, does it still hurt? I've been an independent in the bear pit for 20 years now and I don't
ever step back from passionately putting forward the case for the
community, but I do refrain from indulging in ugly personal attacks.
Has that made you something of a loner in political life? Yes it has,
but I'm a very gregarious person outside parliament. My vision has been
the same since the start: looking after the community, taking care of
the environment, offering progressive solutions for complex social
problems. What I do now is what I've always done. | 
Meredith Burgmann"EXPERIENCE AND INTEGRITY"
Party LABOUR
Form Arrested 21 times as activist, ex-president of the NSW Legislative
Council, founder of the Ernie Awards for ignorant public commentary,
West Tigers/ Swans fan.
You've been
arrested 21 times? I'm still the only protester in Australian history
to be given a gaol sentence over a fine. I ran onto the SCG - fully
clothed - during the 1971 Springboks tour. They gave me a two-month
sentence. So why Vote #1 for a former Public Enemy #1? I have a history of
standing up for Sydney. With the BLF in the 70s, I stood between the
hot money rushing in from America and the total destruction of The
Rocks, Centennial Park and Victoria Street. In terms of getting things
done, I know what it takes. And I have friends in all tiers of
politics, whereas Clover's an oppositionist at heart. So you don't like Clover? I don't know her. In the 16 years I was in
parliament I talked to everyone, but each time I said "Hello Clover"
she looked away. She's extremely antisocial. Most people I know have
never had a conversation with Clover in the 20 years she's been in
parliament. I can't criticise her choker though. I had a mullet for
five years. What's your beef with her politically? I believe it's a conflict of
interest for Clover to be both a state member and Lord Mayor. She's
centralised her focus and resources on Kings Cross and Darlinghurst and
ignored Zetland, Rosebery and Beaconsfield. Suburbs on the north side
of Cleveland Street get cultural events and flower baskets when the
south side is crying out for basic services. There are five public
pools north of Cleveland and none south! So you weren't excited by her Sustainable Sydney 2030 vision? Sydney is
an international city and you have to take on ideas from other big
cities. But until Jan Gehl gave her a vision in the form of 2030, I
think Clover was so obsessed with the local she had no idea how to
engage with the rest of the world. The sites in Martin Place and
Whitlam Square and York Street where Jan Gehl sees cafes and alley bars
are wind tunnels. While we'd all love to tear down the Cahill
Expressway, who's going to spend two billion dollars doing it when they
can have hospitals instead? So what's Meredith Burgmann's vision for Sydney? We've got to fix
traffic or no one can enjoy Sydney. There should be light rail linking
Central, George Street and Barangaroo and we need a virtual city
underground. But the City of Sydney is 22 suburbs, all very diverse so
the issues are diverse too. But you're the woman for it? Look, Sydney is fantastic - a raggedy,
ratbaggy town where you can see the tracks of the bullock drays in the
shadows of the skyscrapers and where the planning is so haphazard you
can walk anywhere. Clover's got incumbency and a hugely expensive PR
machine - every week for the last year we've had leaflets with photos
of Clover plastered all over them, all paid for by the ratepayer! It's
hard to win against that. |
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