Speech by Cr Shauna Jarrett on the 20 November 2023 City of Sydney Council meeting about her Notice of Motion for trialling e-scooters.

The Sydney Liberals have saved Christmas from the grinches that is the NSW Labor Government, passing a notice of motion on Monday’s Council meeting to investigate the City of Sydney resurrecting the scrapped ‘Noel Sydney’ event in December. Liberal Councillor Shauna Jarrett moved her notice of motion following the NSW Government’s decision to scrap the Noel Sydney Christmas Festival hosted by Destination NSW in the 2023 NSW Budget handed down by Labor. Despite being in its first year, Labor decided Christmas was cancelled, scrapping the event that attracted more than 100,000 visitors to Sydney. Council unanimously passed the motion, calling on the Chief Executive Officer to investigate whether discretionary funding and resources are available to fund the Noel Sydney Christmas Festival for 2023 and report back to Council as to the costings and logistics of running a Noel Sydney event through the City of Sydney. “The grinches that are the NSW Labor Government may have tried to steal Christmas, but the Sydney Liberals and the City of Sydney is here to save the festival of joy and happiness that is Noel Sydney,” Cr Jarrett said. “Labor scrapping Noel Sydney after its first year of conception demonstrate they have no vision for how to revitalise Sydney into a prime destination to live, work and stay.” Cr Jarrett said. “I thank my Councillor colleagues from across the political divide including Labor, Greens and Clover Moore Independents for supporting my notice of motion.” Cr Jarrett said.

The City of Sydney is finally getting real with housing affordability after months of complaints for a sensible housing approach by the Sydney Liberals. The new opportunities for City owned land highlights a shift advocated by the Sydney Liberals for advertising and selling properties. Over the past few months Cr Shauna Jarrett has been advocating for the City to investigate and sell surplus properties owned by the City of Sydney to bolster the Council’s failing affordable housing targets that have been lagging by nearly 50%. In the event there are no suitable expression of interests for a property, any remaining properties should be sold to the general property market at market rate, with proceeds directed to Affordable Housing initiatives by the Council. Low and behold, the City of Sydney has adopted the policy position advocated by Cr Jarrett, identifying four surplus properties that has potential to yield 15 affordable bedrooms and 12 additional bedrooms via future affordable housing grant projects sourced through the City’s Affordable and Diverse Housing Fund. Cr Jarrett has raised questioned how the matter has finally been put on the council timetable despite advocating for these changes for months in advance: “It is a welcomed move to see the City of Sydney get real about affordable housing and its property portfolio despite months of advocating for the changes,” Cr Jarrett said. “However, after months of discussion, the City has been silent on the matter until recently. Whilst I commend the City for finally actively contributing to meeting its affordability housing targets, it is seriously behind the eight ball.” “As of 30 June 2022, only 1,427 affordable housing dwellings have been delivered, despite the City of Sydney’s target requiring an additional 2,714 affordable houses needing to be built from 2016-2021. For the City to fail its housing targets by nearly 50% is sad indictment and demonstrates how we need to get real and think differently about affordable housing. It’s clear the red tape mentality doesn’t work and that it’s time to try something new.” The Housing for All Committee Item can be found here .

Lord Mayor Clover Moore AO and the Clover Moore Independent Team have egg on their faces after the City of Sydney has had to delay appointing the important Local Planning Panel following all Clover Moore Independent Team Councillors declaring a significant, non-pecuniary interest in the appointment of Clover Moore campaigner, strategist and former councillor and Deputy Mayor (2017-2018) Jess Miller to the Local Planning Panel. Local Planning Panels are significant local government entities that determine development applications on behalf of councils where there is concern that a development assessment may be compromised (such projects usually have a capital investment of $5 million to $30 million); proposed projects that receive a high number of complaints; proposed projects that are sensitive; for example, they involve the demolition of heritage buildings or destruction of other community assets; or projects that have strategic importance to the state. The Chief Executive Officer of the City of Sydney before today’s Council Meeting had to withdraw the motion, following all five Clover Moore Councillors declaring non-pecuniary significant interests in last Monday’s Committee Meeting due to Jess Miller, a core member of Clover Moore’s strategic campaign team being appointed to the panel and declaring they would not be voting on the matter. As Councillors who have a significant non-pecuniary interest cannot be present and vote on that matter, the City of Sydney could not reach a quorum (as five Clover Moore members declared a conflict) and the matter could not proceed through Council. As the City of Sydney cannot constitute a Local Planning Panel, the City of Sydney is now at risk of Ministerial intervention, as s 2.17(5) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 requires: “(5) If a council fails to constitute a local planning panel that it is required to constitute, the Minister may constitute the panel and for that purpose is taken to be the council.” Liberal Councillor for the City of Sydney Shauna Jarrett has slammed Lord Mayor Clover Moore and the Clover Moore Independent Team for this debacle: “Planning and infrastructure in Sydney is at risk of grinding to a screeching halt due to Lord Mayor Clover Moore and her Team’s conflict of interest with Clover Moore Independent strategist and former Councillor Jess Miller being recommended for appointment to the Panel,” Cr Shauna Jarrett said. “The City of Sydney’s authority as a planning body is in disrepute and must be given to the Minister to decide the matter, or the City may risk not having a planning panel and leaving our City in red-tape limbo.” “After 20 years in office, you would think Lord Mayor Clover Moore would know how to manage conflicts, but sometimes, Moore isn’t better.” The City of Sydney’s Local Planning Panel are currently only engaged until 29 February 2024. Council has until this date to rectify the matter. A link to the original recommendation proposed at the Transport, Heritage, Environment and Planning Committee can be found here.

Lyndon Gannon is working hard to support small business and create stronger communities

S hauna Jarrett is committed to creating a modern and vibrant Sydney.