As Australia enters a dangerous new era of extreme weather with potentially crippling financial consequences, the City of Sydney is leading the nation in the battle against climate change by slashing its carbon emissions.

Sydney is already starting to feel the effects of average global temperatures rising after the city recorded its hottest day ever on 18 January peaking at 46.4°C – while across the country, January 2013 was the hottest month on record with an average temperature of 40.3°C.

Leading scientists predict south-eastern Australia, including many of our largest population centres, is at increased risk from severe extreme weather events – heatwaves, bushfires, heavy rainfall, severe storms and sea-level rise.

Leading insurance company Insurance Australia Group has warned that without stronger action to reduce emissions and adapt to a changing climate the cost of insurance is very likely to rise.

Some locations could become too expensive to insure, which could have crippling financial consequences for home owners.

The City of Sydney aims to reduce carbon emissions by 70% by 2030 – one of the most ambitious targets set by any government in Australia. To reach this target the City is undertaking a range of initiatives including:

• installing energy efficient street and park lights
• rolling out Australia’s largest building-mounted solar panel project
• energy efficiency retrofits of major buildings
• enabling finance for a $26 million low-carbon system at Frasers Central Park development on Broadway
• helping businesses to reduce carbon emissions and energy bills through energy efficiency programs.

Australia’s largest building mounted solar panel project

A rollout of 5,500 solar panels across 30 sites is part of the City’s plan to produce 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The sites across the city include:

• Redfern Oval grandstand
• Sydney Park Pavilion
• Central bus interchange
• Paddington and Glebe Town Halls
• libraries
• pools
• community centres.

The solar panels will produce a total peak electrical capacity of 1.25 megawatts and cover a combined area the size of 2 football fields. They will reduce the City’s annual carbon footprint by as much as 2,250 tonnes each year – the equivalent of taking 740 cars off the road.

Sydney’s LED lighting revolution

Sydney joins Berlin, Barcelona and Los Angeles in the light-emitting diode (LED) revolution to provide brighter lighting in parks and streets while slashing electricity costs and carbon emissions.

Sydney is the first city in Australia to install the new LED lights in streets and parks across the city centre.

Bicentennial Park in Glebe was the first park to have the new LED lights installed as part of the City’s $7 million 3-year roll out of the green technology.

The LED lights, which use 40% less energy than traditional lights have already been installed in main streets of the City including:

• George Street
• Castlereagh Street
• Elizabeth Street
• King Street
• Market Street
• Oxford Street
• Glebe Point Road
• Darlinghurst Road.

The replacement of 6,450 conventional lights is expected to save the City nearly $800,000 a year in electricity bills and maintenance costs.

In a public survey conducted by the City during the trial more than 90% of people reported finding the new lighting more appealing while three-quarters said it actually improved visibility.

City helps businesses to cut emissions and energy bills

Major construction, banking and property companies are joining forces with the City to make buildings more energy efficient, lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy bills.

CitySwitch, founded by the City, is Australia’s flagship office energy-efficiency program, with member businesses accounting for nearly 2 million square metres of commercial office space. The program began in Sydney in 2005 and went national in 2008.

It has grown by 20% in NSW during the past year, with 157 tenancies now signed-up covering a total of 969,600 square metres of office space.

Smart Green Business

Nearly 300 Sydney businesses have saved $1.3 million on utility and waste bills as well as cutting their environmental footprints through the City’s Smart Green Business program.

After 3 years, participating businesses have shown significant environmental and financial benefits of making their operations more energy-efficient and sustainable.

Each business has saved around $4,686 in bills thanks to energy, water and waste audits, and after receiving advice on how to make their operations more sustainable.

Energy Efficiency Retrofit of City Buildings

A $6.9 million retrofit of 45 City properties has been completed that will reduce energy and water use by 20% while saving more than $1 million a year on bills.

The buildings will be fitted with energy efficient lighting, air-conditioning and heating, centralised power management systems for computers, aerated tap and shower heads, cistern modifiers in toilets and waterless urinals.

City enables finance for low carbon energy at Central Park development

Some 4,000 future residents of the Central Park development being built by Frasers Property on the former Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) site will be supplied with low-carbon energy under an innovative finance agreement enabled by the City.

Eureka Funds Management will provide Frasers Property with $26.5 million while the City collects the loan repayments as a charge on the land, in what is called an Environmental Upgrade Agreement (EUA).

Frasers will use the EUA funding to install two-megawatts (MW) of trigeneration capacity, running on natural gas and producing low-carbon electricity, heating and cooling for apartments and businesses

The trigeneration plant could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 190,000 tonnes over the 25 year design life of the plant, equal to removing 2,500 cars from our roads every year.

The Better Building Partnership

To transform Sydney into a low-carbon city, the City of Sydney has forged new alliances with business to ensure carbon reduction strategies are implemented across the city centre.

The City has formed a new alliance of major property owners, the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP), which collectively own nearly 60% of central Sydney’s office space.

The BBP aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve the sustainability performance of their buildings.

Residential and commercial buildings account for nearly a quarter of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, so they have a large role to play in addressing climate change.

The foundation members of the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) are:

• AMP Capital Investors
• Brookfield Office Properties Australia
• Charter Hall
• Colonial First State Property Global Asset Management
• DEXUS
• GPT Group
• Investa Property Group
• Lead Lease
• Mirvac
• Stockland
• Frasers Property
• University of Sydney
• University of Technology, Sydney
• City of Sydney.

Find out more about Sydney 2030.

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The City of Sydney is working closely with NSW Police to make Sydney a safer and more liveable city.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said recent violent incidents on George Street were a reminder that the work being done to make our streets safer is absolutely vital.

“We all agree that late night violence, often fuelled by alcohol and drug use, remains too common in Sydney. But while more work needs to be done, the City of Sydney is making real progress,” the Lord Mayor said.

Recent work by the City to increase public safety includes:

• Upgrading the City’s 87-camera CCTV network with new cameras and fibre optics;
• Increasing alcohol-free zones to 320 streets, parks and other public places to discourage anti-social behaviour;
• Precinct Ambassadors patrolling late-night summer hotspots;
• Food trucks, small bars, public art and other activities to liven up hidden corners; and
• Replacing 6,450 conventional lights with brighter LED lights.

The Safe City Unit also has ongoing educational campaigns to promote safety while encouraging visitors, workers and residents to report crime and take precautions to protect themselves and their property.

Regular Good Neighbourhood BBQs bring people together informally to start new friendships and hear from the NSW Police and City staff about personal and household safety.

The City’s sharps management program keeps tens of thousands of needles and other potentially dangerous material out of public places.

While official crime statistics are falling across Sydney, the City continues to work hard to ensure locals and visitors alike feel safe and are more willing to go out and enjoy what Sydney has to offer after dark.

Surveys conducted at the City’s Good Neighbourhood barbeques last year found:

• 85 per cent felt most people in their community can be trusted;
• 79 per cent are very satisfied or satisfied with the appearance of their community; and
• 93 per cent were optimistic about the future of the community.

“These are very positive results and we will be repeating the surveys to track our progress on raising feelings of safety and connection in the community,” said Suzie Matthews, the City’s Manager, Business and Safety.

“By international standards, Sydney is a safe city and recent figures show it is getting safer, with the rates of key crimes trending downward. However, there is always room for improvement.

“We work closely with NSW Police to keep our streets safe, we enforce alcohol-free zones and we have installed security cameras which police say are a useful crime deterrent.

“We’ve also been working tirelessly to improve safety and strengthen community ties, particularly in areas that have had a bad reputation in the past. We know fear of crime can have a real impact on people regardless of the crime statistics, so it’s important we ensure people know the facts and feel safe.”

New data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) shows the City of Sydney is a safer place than it was 10 or 20 years ago. But people’s perceptions of the risk of crime have yet to catch up with this new and safer reality.

Reduced crime rates from 2010 to 2012 in the City of Sydney include stealing from vehicles (17.9 per cent reduction), stealing from a person (5.2 per cent), and malicious damage to property (7.1 per cent).

“We know that in NSW, people overestimate their risks of being a victim of crime and the vast majority of people wrongly think crime is going up,” said BOCSAR’s director, Dr Don Weatherburn.

“Measures like those introduced by the City of Sydney could help to reduce people’s fear of crime.”

The City’s work on building a sense of safety and connection to the community complements Open Sydney, the City’s long-term strategy for developing Sydney’s night-time economy.

Open Sydney sets out a roadmap for an inviting, safe and diverse city at night, with more retail, food, cultural activities and entertainment that is appealing to all sorts of people and drives strong economic growth.

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Rohan Sullivan, phone 02 9246 7298 or 0414 617 086, or email rsullivan@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin, 0477 310 149, or jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Hyde Park will be alive with fun activities and performances to delight young and old at the City of Sydney’s NAIDOC in the City family day.

The annual event, on 8 July, will feature a dedicated Kidzone, performances by TV dance stars Move it Mob Style, animals from Taronga Zoo, and some hilarious comic action.

The family day is part of the week-long national NAIDOC festival, running from 7–14 July and celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements.

Stand-up comedian and artist Kevin Kropinyeri will keep everyone entertained with his deadly wit and painting skills at the Hyde Park event.

Mr Kropinyeri, winner of the Deadly Funny award at the 2008 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, said NAIDOC Week was a time to showcase the best of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

“It’s a very important week to celebrate our survival and achievements throughout the years in different areas including sport, art, health and community,” Mr Kropinyeri said.

“I will talk about my journey as an artist and being a comedian, and I’ll make it fun for the kids while also showing them how to draw and what colours work best together. It’s a way for kids to have fun, experiment with acrylic paint on canvas and have something to take home with them at the end of the day.”

Mr Kropinyeri will also perform on the main stage, fresh from touring across NSW as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2013 Roadshow.

“Winning the Deadly Funny award in 2008 really kick started my career as a comedian and now I do it full time, performing corporate gigs, in comedy lounges and festivals across Australia,” Mr Kropinyeri said.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said NAIDOC in the City was a great chance for young Sydneysiders to learn more about the world’s oldest living culture.

“It’s very important for our children and young people to grow up with an understanding and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage,” the Lord Mayor said.

“NAIDOC in the City is a great way for them to learn and explore that culture through fun activities.”

VIBE Australia is organising NAIDOC in the City for the City of Sydney. VIBE Australia executive producer Gavin Jones said the Kidzone would include a range of activities for young people to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and, most importantly, to have fun.

“Musician, dancer and man of culture, Matthew Doyle, will be hosting a cultural workshop and artist and comedian Kevin Kropinyeri will be taking an interactive art workshop,” Mr Jones said.

“We’ll also have dancers from the popular Indigenous television show Move It Mob Style®, teaching some deadly dance moves.

“There will be sports role models on hand to inspire young people and talk about how they reached their dreams. Kidzone will definitely be a lively and engaging place, with plenty to do and see.”

The theme for NAIDOC Week 2013 is We Value the Vision: Yirrkala Bark Petitions 1963, which will mark the 50th anniversary of this important turning point in traditional rights and ownership.

The two bark petitions were sent by the Yolngu people, of Yirrkala in northeast Arnhem Land, to the Australian House of Representatives in August 1963, protesting the Commonwealth Government’s granting of mining rights on land excised from Arnhem Land, and to recognise the land as belonging to the Yolngu people.

The petitions were the first traditional documents to be recognised by Australian law, and set in motion a long process of legislative and constitutional reforms for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as well as the nation’s acknowledgment of their land rights.

NAIDOC Week celebrates the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, which grew from the first political groups of the 1920s.

NAIDOC in the City

11am–3pm, Monday 8 July

Hyde Park North

sydneynaidoc.com.au

Other NAIDOC Week events hosted by the City:

Redfern flag raising ceremony

9.30am, Monday 8 July

Redfern Community Centre, 29-53 Hugo Street, Redfern

The City of Sydney’s annual flag raising ceremony at Redfern Community Centre will include refreshments and transport to the NAIDOC in the City event at Hyde Park.

Aboriginal photography exhibition

1 July–31 August

Newtown Library, 8–10 Brown Street, Newtown

In conjunction with Amnesty International and Demand Dignity NSW, Tali Gallery in Rozelle has curated a travelling exhibition of photos showing cultural practices and art creation in remote communities.

Torres Strait Islander artist talk

6-8pm, Tuesday 9 July

Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre, Level 1, 405 Crown Street, Surry Hills

Zenadh-Kes artist Glen Mackie discusses how his culturally-rich Torres Strait Islander heritage inspires his intricate linoprint artworks, which will be on show in the library from 1 July–31 August. He’ll be followed by Patricia Adjei, Indigenous Communications Coordinator and Legal Officer from the Copyright Agency, who will discuss copyright for Indigenous artists, resale royalties, and Indigenous cultural intellectual property rights.

Free; bookings essential on 02 9265 7576

Indigenous youth linoprint workshop

2–4pm, Wednesday 10 July

Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre, Level 1, 405 Crown Street, Surry Hills

Zenadh-Kes artist Glen Mackie, from the Torres Strait, hosts a printmaking workshop for Indigenous youth aged 12–18.

Free; bookings essential on 02 9265 7576

Aboriginal watercolours talk

6–7pm, Wednesday 10 July

Customs House Library, Level 2, 31 Alfred Street, Circular Quay

Di Stevens, curator at Tali Gallery, talks about Ngurratjuta Arts Centre in Alice Springs, which supports over 300 Aboriginal artists, with a special focus on the Hermannsburg school artists that continue the watercolour landscapes tradition. There are about 15 artists that paint in the watercolour style, being descendants of Albert Namatjira. Arrive early to see an exhibition of their works on level one, which runs 1 July–31 August.

Free; bookings essential on 02 9265 7576

Thursday 11 July, 10.30am-4pm and

Friday 12 July, 10.30am-4pm

Dindal, Centennial Park

Don’t know what a dindal is? Then come along and learn about this traditional Indigenous cooking method where the food is buried underground in an earth oven. The cooking demonstration is followed by a feast.

Free; bookings essential on 02 9265 9333 or youthservices@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

NAIDOC Week events supported by the City:

Sunday 7 July, midday–4pm: Family Fun Day and Aboriginal History Tour

Glebe Public School, 9-25 Derwent Street, Glebe; phone 02 9566 1285.

Friday 12 July, 9am–5pm: Inner City NAIDOC Family and Sports Day

National Centre for Indigenous Excellence, 180 George Street, Redfern; Phone 0412 206 205.

Saturday 13 July, 10am–4pm: Woolloomooloo NAIDOC Family Day 2013

Forbes Street Reserve, Woolloomooloo; phone 02 9368 1381.

For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus: phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Sydney’s growing population of high rise residents can slash power bills in their blocks by up to 30 per cent under a new program specially tailored for apartment living.

Smart Blocks is a new national program helping apartment owners and their managers improve the energy efficiency of their buildings and save money. It provides a step-by-step guide for owners corporations to reduce the money they spend running common facilities including lights, swimming pools, hot water systems and heating and cooling plants.

With high rise apartment buildings using around 25 per cent more energy per person than free standing homes, Smart Blocks shows how energy consumption levels in high density dwellings can be substantially reduced.

Sydney has more apartment residents than any other area of Australia and the City of Sydney is collaborating on Smart Blocks to help residents cut their power bills and reduce pollution to help meet its goal of cutting Sydney’s carbon emissions by 70 per cent by 2030.

“With more and more residents living in apartments, we need to explain how using energy more efficiently can make it easier on their wallets and on the environment,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

“Smart Blocks does just that, explaining the large savings that can be made from replacing  old assets with more efficient products and how equipment can be used in different ways to slash energy consumption levels.”

At the core of Smart Blocks is an interactive online toolkit that helps people find out what efficiency improvements can be made to common property in their building and that explains the steps to get those improvements approved by the owners corporation.

Smart Blocks is being developed through a partnership between the City of Sydney, Strata Community Australia, the City of Melbourne, Owners Corporation Network of Australia and Green Strata.

It builds on the success of the City of Sydney’s Smart Green Apartments program which has highlighted the huge energy and water savings available to apartment owners from increasing the efficiency of plant and equipment in common areas.

Energy savings of up to 30 per cent have already been identified in buildings in the Smart

Green Apartments program and similar results are possible from Smart Blocks.

The Smart Blocks program received funding from the Australian Government’s Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism as part of the Energy Efficiency Information Grants Program.

Across Australia more and more people are living in apartments and in the five years from 2006 to 2011, apartments accounted for 35-40 per cent of all new homes.

For more information visit: www.smartblocks.com.au

For media enquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Media Specialist Matthew Moore phone 0431 050 963 or email mmoore@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Hoodoo Gurus singer Dave Faulkner and a panel of music industry heavyweights will take a close look at Sydney’s live music scene in a free public forum this month.

Faulkner – who led late 1970s punk band The Victims before moving to Sydney in the early 1980s and starting the Hoodoo Gurus and more recently the Dig It Up! Festival – will talk about the highs and lows and red tape of a 30-year career in the industry.

He’ll be joined by people with years of experience playing music, booking bands, running venues and programming radio for the event at Lower Town Hall on 26 June.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said that despite live music being a much-loved and important activity for many Sydneysiders, the live music scene faced challenges.

“We need more venues for artists to perform in, and more places where audiences can see them play,” the Lord Mayor said.

“The live music scene has struggled, with key venues closing or going into receivership and musicians finding it harder than ever to find gigs.

“Part of it is the complex regulations around live music and the challenging task of finding the right balance between the needs of residents and other businesses.

“I’ve established a Live Music Taskforce to look at the issues, see what has worked elsewhere, and report back with practical steps the City could take. This forum is an important step in the process.”

Speakers on the night include:

• Dave Faulkner – singer and guitarist with one of Australia’s most enduring live acts, the Hoodoo Gurus, and founder of the Dig It Up! Festival;
• John Wardle – musician and entertainment policy activist who helped establish small bars in Sydney and the NSW Government’s restrictive Place of Public Entertainment regulations, and chairman of the City’s Live Music Task Force;
• Mark Gerber – founder of the art, performance and live music venue the Oxford Art Factory;
• Meagan Loader – program director for the Triple J network and founder of FBi Radio;
• Brett Murrihy – founder and chief executive of Artist Voice, one of Australia’s leading music artists’ agencies.

The night will round-off with performances by Sydney psychedelic-pop band The Laurels and country-folk duo Jep and Dep (Jessica Cassar and Darren Cross, formerly of Gerling/E.L.F).

The event follows the City’s Live Music 101 seminar last month for people interested in what it takes to put on a live show. Around 150 participants heard what permits were needed, how to avoid pitfalls such as noise complaints, and case studies from successful venue operators.

The Live Music Task Force will report later this year on ways the City can help stimulate the live music scene, including ideas on development consent and noise regulation, licensing requirements, building codes and possible initiatives to build audience participation.

City Conversation: You Can’t Stop the Music … unless you have a properly approved Noise Abatement Order

Date: Wednesday, 26 June 2013

Time: 6.30–8pm

Where: Lower Town Hall, Sydney Town Hall, 483 George Street, Sydney (entrance via Druitt Street)

Tickets: Free but limited – booking is essential on 136 100 or via ticketmaster.com.au

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Rohan Sullivan on 02 9246 7298 or 0414 617 086, or email rsullivan@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Sydney businesses will get a lesson in good manners this month to help them make the most of the fast-growing Chinese tourist market.

After a sold-out run late last year in the lead-up to the busy Chinese New Year period, the City of Sydney’s ChinaConnect program is expanding in 2013. Bookings are now open for four free workshops in June and August.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said more than 350,000 Chinese tourists visited Sydney every year.

“That’s expected to grow to over 600,000 visitors a year by 2021,” the Lord Mayor said.

“These cultural awareness workshops will help equip local retail, hospitality and tourism businesses to make the most of our fastest-growing tourism market.

“Local businesses large and small will learn practical skills they can apply straightaway.”

This year’s ChinaConnect workshops will be held on 25 June and 27 August, with afternoon and evening sessions offered each day.

The interactive workshops improve participants’ cultural awareness when dealing with Chinese customers, especially on issues such as cultural sensitivities, expectations and preferences.

Afternoon sessions will focus on practical advice for working with Chinese customers, including etiquette tips and how to communicate effectively. These workshops are suited to people working in customer-facing roles, such as hotel reception staff, retail assistants or other front-of-house roles.

Evening sessions will have a strategic focus, looking at the characteristics of Chinese consumers and how to tailor products and services to meet their needs. These workshops are suited to people working in marketing or business development.

More than 150 people from over 100 different businesses attended last year’s debut series of ChinaConnect workshops.

Will Figueira, manager of Red Bottle, a premium wine retailer in Haymarket, attended one of the sessions and said it had given his team a valuable insight into the mindset of their many Chinese customers.

“The ChinaConnect workshop helped us understand what’s important to a Chinese customer when they’re considering a purchase and how we can reflect this in our business – from relationship building and customer communications to the feng shui of the space,” Mr Figueira said.

“As a result of the workshop, we’re now looking to make our store even more China-friendly by introducing Mandarin product descriptions on our shelves and doing more Chinese-language advertising. I would definitely recommend the ChinaConnect sessions to other businesses in Haymarket and beyond.”

The ChinaConnect program is part of the City’s year-round support for local businesses, which also includes an annual business forum as part of the Sydney Chinese New Year Festival and sponsorship of the Sydney-China Business Forum.

ChinaConnect workshops

Date:               Tuesday 25 June and Tuesday 27 August 2013
Time:              2pm–4.30pm and 6pm–8.30pm
Venue:            Barnet Long Room, Customs House, 31 Alfred Street, Circular Quay
Tickets:          Free, but bookings are essential here

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Keeley Irvin.
Phone 0448 005 718 or email kirvin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin.
Phone 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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City of Sydney electricity use data shows large savings are being made across 45 buildings, from measures as simple as installing movement sensors on vending machines that switch off lights when they are not in use, to adjusting the voltage of an entire building.

The savings have been made under a $6.9 million contract with Origin Energy to cut electricity use in the City’s buildings by 6.4 million kilowatt hours a year – enough power to supply 870 households for one year. This will save the City an estimated $880,000 in annual power bills.

“These figures show what a major difference can be made by retrofitting buildings. As cities are the greatest emitters of greenhouse gas, we need to make our buildings more energy efficient,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“New buildings are designed with energy efficiency in mind. We need to retrofit older buildings if we are going to make a real difference.

“Reducing our environmental footprint this way makes good business sense. I am delighted we are setting a good example with our property portfolio.”

The City has a target to cut its own energy and water consumption overall by 20 per cent compared to 2006 levels. These latest figures confirm it is well on track to achieving this. Power reductions at City facilities include:

• 68 per cent at the recycling depot
• 52 per cent at Alexandria Childcare Centre
• 39 per cent at Glebe Library
• 32 per cent at Goulburn Street Car Park
• 28 per cent at Customs House
• 22 per cent at Paddington Town Hall
• 21 per cent at Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre
• 17 per cent at King George V Recreation Centre
• 5 per cent at Newtown Library

Some of the savings involved changes to the building’s engineering. Air-conditioning at the City’s swimming pools and large buildings has been improved by installing variable speed drives to pumps and by using refrigerant additives to optimise the system.

At the City’s recycling depot, induction lighting that produces instantaneous and concentrated floodlight has been installed and switches on and off with a movement sensor.

Across the whole portfolio, the City has introduced a relatively new practice of voltage power optimisation and is upgrading the power management system on personal computers. Other retrofit changes include efficient lighting retrofits, waterless urinals, water flow controls, and water recycling and recovery systems.

The overhaul is part of the City’s target to reduce carbon emissions by 70 per cent, compared to 2006 levels, by the year 2030 – the most ambitious of any Australian government.

The City is also Australia’s first officially carbon neutral government.

For more information, visit: sydney2030.com.au

For media enquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Media Specialist Matthew Moore.

Phone 0431 050 963 or email mmoore@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Shehana Teixeira.

Phone 0418 238 373 or email steixeira@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Changes to the regulatory environment and the Federal Government’s decision to lower the future carbon price have reduced the commercial case for some of the City’s trigeneration precincts.

The City has decided the first trigeneration project planned for Green Square does not currently meet performance targets necessary for the project to progress. Instead the City will continue with plans to install trigeneration systems in its own buildings starting with a plant to provide electricity, heating and cooling to Sydney Town Hall, Town Hall House and the Queen Victoria Building.

Cogent along with other companies will be invited to tender for this project.

“This changed environment, while unfortunate, is only a small roadblock,” City of Sydney CEO Monica Barone said.

“The economics of trigeneration at Green Square don’t stack up now, but we will do everything we can to lobby the state and federal governments for regulatory reform. All the research, technical material and scoping we have done so far will be used to pursue trigeneration systems in our own buildings and for future trigeneration precincts across the city.

“We still believe a future trigeneration network in Green Square is viable and we will ensure the development is ready for trigen, as it progresses. Council will soon consider a development application by Cogent for the building that will house a future trigen plant in Green Square, that if approved, will be valid for up to five years.

“The City will revisit trigen in Green Square once the regulatory environment makes it more attractive for large scale precincts. We believe climate change is the most pressing issue for every government, and our resolve on cutting carbon emissions is as strong as ever.”

Other factors that influenced the decision include restrictive electricity network regulations and the state and federal government rule changes that remove incentives for the development of trigeneration precincts, gas distribution regulation, and the gradual take up rates for energy from trigen as Green Square develops.

While city-wide trigeneration networks provide low carbon electricity and zero carbon heating and cooling to buildings in cities including London, New York, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen and Seoul, in Australia one of the key incentives for establishing similar trigeneration precincts has been removed through recent rule changes by state and federal governments.

Trigeneration is an extremely efficient way of producing reliable, low carbon electricity and zero carbon heating and cooling.

In addition to some of the specific challenges with the proposed Green Square project, regulatory changes to the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) last October reduced the appeal of precinct-based trigeneration.

While NABERS has been an excellent tool in driving efficiency improvement in the property sector to date, the change in October removed incentives to establish precinct- based trigeneration. These changes mean that even when a trigeneration plant supplies power to a building next door, the property owner can no longer get the all-important increase in environmental star ratings from using low carbon power for the Commercial Building Disclosure Scheme.

Instead, precinct scale trigeneration and renewable energy is treated as power sent from the Hunter Valley even though it is produced locally with less than half the carbon emissions of coal-fired power. Forecasts for gas prices over the next few years also added to cost uncertainty.

The City will continue its fight to reduce carbon emissions while lobbying to reverse the regressive changes to NABERS and remove the regulatory barriers to trigeneration.

These barriers include a pricing regime that fails to reward people consuming locally-generated power even though that saves the community money that would otherwise be spent transporting electricity great distances from where it is generated.

Already the City is rolling out the largest concentration of building mounted solar panels in the country, replacing all its street lights with energy efficient LEDs and completing a major energy efficiency retrofit of its buildings. These measures will slash greenhouse gas emissions from the City’s own buildings and operations by 29 per cent by 2016.

The City’s renewable energy master plan, soon to go before Council, contains a blueprint for how 100 per cent of the City of Sydney’s Local Government Area electricity, heating and cooling can come from renewable sources by 2030.

To make existing, privately-owned trigeneration plants more efficient, the City is also planning to lay pipes to nearby buildings where known customers are keen to access the waste heat trigeneration produces to provide zero carbon heating and air conditioning.

At Prince Alfred Park, the City will also install its first fuel cell to supply low carbon electricity and heating to its new outdoor pool.

Media inquiries: Matthew Moore on 0431 050 963 or email mmoore@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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A draft renewable energy master plan prepared by the City of Sydney provides a blueprint for providing 30 per cent of the city’s electricity demand from carbon-free renewable electricity, mainly from harnessing solar and wind power, and 70 per cent from renewable gases derived from waste.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the plan outlined how 100 per cent of the city local government area’s electricity, heating and cooling could be supplied from renewable sources by 2030.

In developing its renewable energy master plan, the City researched best practice in other countries that are moving towards a 100 per cent renewable energy system.

The research found that cities leading the way in renewable energy are using precinct scale decentralised energy networks.

They are then able to provide a 100 per cent renewable energy system using renewable gases from waste, renewable heat from solar or geothermal energy as well as renewable electricity technologies.

“This plan provides an invaluable road map detailing where all the renewable resources exist, how much it costs to harness them and how we can use them to help deliver a 100 per cent clean renewable energy system for Sydney,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Renewable gas is made from waste – a valuable renewable energy resource widely used overseas. At present we only capture a tiny proportion of the potential energy available from garbage, sewage plants, landfill sites, livestock, agriculture, and forestry waste to generate electricity.

“Projects in Europe are currently capturing 80 per cent of the primary renewable energy resource so we’ve got a lot to catch up to.

Our research identified that there is more than enough waste resources within a 250 km radius of Sydney to produce renewable gases to supply to meet the targets set out in the Master Plan.

“All this should be of immense interest to State and Federal Ministers who are concerned about future shortages of natural gas. This master plan proves renewable gas is a viable option, and we know it works because it’s already used around the world.

“We encourage other governments to urgently start work on developing a renewable gas market and set a national renewable gas target, rather than focussing on coal seam gas which is dangerous for our natural environment and water supply.

“It’s beyond the scope of our plan, but our work has showed that there is potential to export renewable energy. Australia’s biggest contribution to climate change is its exports of coal and gas – but we could be exporting renewable gas and contributing towards global emission reductions.”

Utilising emerging ‘power to gas’ developed in Germany and liquefied renewable gas (LRG) technologies, Australia could access large amounts of renewable energy resources in the remotest parts of Australia for export using existing liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure.

In Germany, the most industrialised country in Europe, 25 per cent of Germany’s total energy consumption was met by renewable energy resources in 2012. Germany’s Renewable Energy Sources Act sets targets to increase the share of renewable energy to 40 per cent by 2020 and to 80 per cent by 2050.

Germany has developed ‘power to gas’ technologies capturing surplus wind and solar power for injection into the gas grid. This model is now being copied by the North Sea Power to Gas Platform project run by the electricity and gas network operators in Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and the UK to convert offshore wind and coastal solar PV to renewable gas for injection into the European gas grid.

In Copenhagen 33 per cent of the decentralised energy network supplying 98 per cent of the City of Copenhagen is now supplied by biomass, renewable gases and energy from waste. Their target is to replace all fossil fuels supplying the district energy network with renewable fuels and gases by 2025.

The City of Sydney’s plan has been prepared with input from three major consulting firms. Arup carried out the technical analysis, the Allen Consulting Group carried out the financial and economic analysis and Talent with Energy carried out work on the supply infrastructure for renewable gases.

For media enquiries, contact City of Sydney Media Specialist Matthew Moore phone 0431 050 963 or email mmoore@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Shehana Teixeira on
0418 238 373 or email steixeira@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Artist and musician Reg Mombassa will use his unique vision and absurdist humour to help Sydney Shine even brighter as Creative Ambassador for 2013 Sydney New Year’s Eve.

Among the motifs created by the Glebe resident to characterise Australia’s biggest public event are a high-rise Sydney Opera House and a single ‘all-seeing eye’ to represent the 2013 theme, Shine.

Mr Mombassa’s illustrations for NYE13 will adorn banners, buses and bus-stops across the city in the lead up to the event and will also feature in the much-anticipated and top-secret Bridge Effect, which is only revealed at midnight on 31 December.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said Mr Mombassa was admired for his work with Mambo clothing, pop-rock bands Mental as Anything and Dog Trumpet, as well as the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony.

“Reg is one of Australia’s greatest living artists and cultural exports who cleverly combines thoughtful insights with a signature irreverence, which reflects our life and culture,” the Lord Mayor said.

“His work is bold and colourful with an absurdist humour that brings a smile to people’s faces, so his unique vision is a perfect match for our biggest event.

“It will be fantastic to see his striking designs across Sydney and I can’t wait to see his rope-light Bridge Effect during the fireworks displays.”

Mr Mombassa, 61, worked with the City of Sydney’s NYE team and Imagination Australia to develop the theme and said it was exciting to be working on an event that reached more than one billion people worldwide.

“It has been an interesting and challenging job designing artwork for what is arguably the biggest party in the world,” Mr Mombassa said.

“I have used the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House quite extensively in previous pictures so it was a familiar and attractive proposition to do something based on the harbour.

“Sydney NYE is an inspiring and happy event where people get the opportunity to have a big party and enjoy their city at its best. I hope people enjoy the Shine theme. Some of the stuff that I do can be mildly confrontational but I have stayed away from that and produced images to suit the occasion, which is a family-friendly and fun-filled event, and it should stay that way.”

Mr Mombassa has been busy in his studio for the past six months working on drawings to reflect the Shine theme, as well as four panoramic works featuring his interpretation of Sydney’s villages.

Sydneysiders have the opportunity to see these works up close at Mr Mombassa’s new exhibition, Hallucinatory Anthropomorphism … Semi-Abstract Paraphysical Manifestations of the Collective Unconscious, which opens on Wednesday 19 June at Watters Gallery, 109 Riley Street, East Sydney. The exhibition runs until Saturday 6 July.

Mr Mombassa has also created tailor-made artworks for Sydney’s smartpole banners, which will bring art and colour to the city’s streets in the lead-up to NYE13.

The NYE13 Shine theme reflects a city where the sun, water and people all shine, while Mr Mombassa’s ‘all-seeing eye’ motif aims to encourage individualism while also representing Sydneysiders’ singular vision to live harmoniously.

“When I thought about the word Shine there seemed to be so many options but in the end I decided to go with the eye,” Mr Mombassa said.

“The eyes are the most interesting part of the human face and there is that idea of the eye being the window to the soul, as well as the spiritual aspect of the third eye, from which shines an invisible metaphysical laser beam.”

Last year’s Creative Ambassador was pop princess Kylie Minogue, who encouraged Sydneysiders to Embrace and the 2011 Creative Headliner was designer Marc Newson, who had a Time to Dream theme.

The annual event attracts about 1.6 million people to the Sydney Harbour foreshore, while about 2.6 million people watch the 9PM Family Fireworks and Midnight Fireworks displays on television.

Sydney NYE is also the single most important event, related to economic return in Sydney, generating about $156 million for the local economy.

For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com

Twitter: #NYESYD

For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus, phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Reg Mombassa is the pseudonym of Christopher O’Doherty, one of Australia’s best-loved musicians and artists, and one of the country’s finest cultural exports.

The 61-year-old was a founding member of pop-rock band, Mental as Anything, which released numerous chart hits and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2009.

Reg left the Mentals in 2000 to focus on Dog Trumpet, the band he began with brother, Peter O’Doherty, in 1990. Dog Trumpet has released five albums and two EPs to critical acclaim and a new album, Medicated Spirits, will be launched in August this year.

Reg’s artworks are held in many private and public collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of NSW, Museum Victoria, Powerhouse Museum and ArtBank.

He has been a finalist for the Archibald, Sulman and Dobell prizes and his work has been shown around the world, including in New Zealand, the UK, France, Italy, China and Thailand.

Reg held his first painting exhibition at Watters Gallery in 1975 and has since been involved in more than 30 exhibitions with the East Sydney gallery, both under the names Christopher O’Doherty and Reg Mombassa.

A new show, Hallucinatory Anthropomorphism … Semi-Abstract Paraphysical Manifestations of the Collective Unconscious, includes work created for NYE13 and will open at Watters Gallery on 19 June.

Reg is also known around the world for his distinctive and provocative T-shirt and poster designs for Mambo clothing, whom he began working for in 1986.

In 2000, his artworks were seen by millions of people worldwide when he created a collection of large inflatable characters for the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics.

In 2006, Smart Street Films released a documentary about Reg, Golden Sandals, and in 2009, Harper Collins published the definitive biography, The Mind and Times of Reg Mombassa, by Murray Waldren.

He is married to Martina Woodburne and the couple have three children.

1951 

Born 14 August in Auckland, New Zealand.

Educated at Westlake Boys High School.

1969               

Migrates to Australia and settles with his family on Sydney’s northern beaches.

1969-70

Commences studies at the National Art School, Darlinghurst.

1970-75 

Abandons studies after two years after becoming disillusioned with the course. Works as builder’s labourer, cleaner, house painter and driver before re-enroling as an art student.

1975-77  

Continues studies and graduates from the National Art School with a Diploma of Painting.

1975 

Meets Martina Woodburne at an election party in Surry Hills.

Work is shown in first group exhibition at Watters Gallery, East Sydney.

1976   

Forms Mental as Anything with four other art students Martin Plaza, Greedy Smith, David Twohill and Stephen Coburn.

1980  

Son Darcy born.

1982      

Marries Martina Woodburne.

1983   

Daughter Claudia born.

1986   

Begins work as a freelancer designing T-shirts and posters for Mambo.

Daughter Lucy born.

1990   

Forms band Dog Trumpet with brother, Peter O’Doherty.

First exhibition with Mambo at Ray Hughes Gallery, Surry Hills.

1994     

Major touring show, Art Irritates Life, with Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.

Mambo Graphics publishes The Mambo Picture Book of Wisdom and Art Irritates Life.

1995   

His ‘Real Wild Child’ exhibition poster, commissioned by Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum, wins first prize in the American Association of Museums 1995 design competition poster category.

1996

ARIA Award for Best Australian Cover Art for Mental as Anything’s Liar, Liar Pants on Fire.

1998  

Mambo Graphics publishes Still life with Franchise.

2000  

Commissioned by Sydney Olympics to design Heroes segment for the Closing Ceremony, with six huge inflatable figures. Designs also appear on athletes’ shirts during the ceremony.

Designs poster for the 2000 Paralympics Art Festival.

2001    

Contributes section to the Federation Tapestry, installed at Melbourne Museum.

Creates Snake flag for The Mambo Flags project at Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.

2002    

Weekly illustrated column is published for a year in The Daily Telegraph.

2004      

Plays role of ‘Gypsy Artist’ in Love’s Brother, written and directed by Jan Sardi.

2006

Real Wild Child is reproduced for the Australian Rock Posters stamp edition by Australia Post. Art on Foam, a touring exhibition of painted surfboards by 18 artists at four venues in France.

2007  

Thirty-year survey show, The Art of Chris O’Doherty a.k.a. Reg Mombassa, at S.H. Ervin Gallery is officially opened by actor Jack Thompson.

Designs five stamps for Australia Post’s Big Things series.

Designs a set of coins for the Royal Australian Mint’s Australian Artist series.

A commemorative tone poem of surprising delicacy, is included in The Best Australian Poetry of 2006, edited by John Tranter and published by UQP.

2008 

Dog Trumpet plays and art on show at Festival for Art Lovers and Artists, Bangalow, NSW.

Solo show at Spacejunk Gallery in Bayonne and two other French galleries.

2009  

The Mind and Times of Reg Mombassa, by Murray Waldren, is published by Harper Collins.

Mental as Anything is inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

2011  

Speaks at Semi-Permanent conference in Sydney and Brisbane.

Finalist in Dobell Prize for drawing.

Fifteen works exhibited in Les Enfants Terrible show at the Lyon Biennale.

2012   

Harper Collins publishes Cranium Universe e-book of poetry, songs, pictures and interviews.

2013 

Appointed Creative Ambassador for 2013 Sydney New Year’s Eve.

For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com/media-centre

For media enquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus, phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Residents of a Darlinghurst street will soon be neatly dropping their rubbish and recycling down roadside chutes in an Australia-first trial by the City of Sydney that is taking waste disposal underground.

The system proposed for Royston Street use giant underground bins to replace what has become a cluttered collection of wheelie bins in this particularly small street.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the waste storage and collection system was a simple and practical solution for high-density living.

“With fewer bins to deal with collecting the waste will be quicker and quieter. The giant bins will be hoisted to the surface by hydraulic lifts and emptied into garbage trucks as normal by City staff,” the Lord Mayor said.

“The underground system will be the first of its kind in Australia, but similar systems are already used in the cities around the world where high density housing leaves limited space for bins.

“This is an innovative and practical way to manage traffic on these small streets, reduce clutter and beautify these streets for local residents.”

Royston Street is a cul-de-sac lined by apartment buildings with limited street frontage. In the 1980s, a bay was built on a traffic island in the middle of the cul-de-sac for wheelie bins for residents. Household recycling meant more bins were later added, with the bay now overcrowded, attracting rubbish dumping and pests.

The new system will replace about 15 standard-sized wheelie bins in the street with five large 1100-litre bins underground. Three will be for general waste and two for recycling, with an option to change the mix depending on the amount of rubbish and recycling required.

The City has written to residents of Royston Street explaining the plan and providing an artist’s impression of what the new system will look like.

Residents are invited to give their feedback as part of the development application process for the new system, with installation planned for later this year.

Underground communal bin systems are not practical for many other City areas, where it is easier and more efficient for residents to leave bins in the street outside their homes on the night before collection.

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Rohan Sullivan, phone 02 9246 7298 or 0414 617 086, or email rsullivan@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Multi-award winning hip-hop group Street Warriors will take centre stage at the City of Sydney’s free NAIDOC in the City event at Hyde Park North next month.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the event – part of a major opportunity to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture organised by VIBE Australia – will help launch NAIDOC Week on Monday 8 July.

“NAIDOC Week is an incredibly important recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and identity,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Sydney has a strong Indigenous community and we’re proud to be working on projects, such as the Eora Journey, designed to acknowledge their significant history, celebrate their culture and to promote reconciliation.

“This event is an open, free and fun way for people to take part in NAIDOC Week and I hope people from around Sydney join us in Hyde Park.”

Newcastle-based Street Warriors will appear on the main stage from 1pm, performing songs from their debut album, Unstoppable Force, which includes their cover of the hit song, Solid Rock with Shannon Noll.

The brothers, Abie Wright (aka Predator) and Warrick Wright (aka Wok), will be fresh from shooting a music video in New York for their upcoming single, Champion.

“NAIDOC Week has always been important and we’ve always made sure we’re a part of community events,” Abie said.

“NAIDOC is a celebration of our culture, and how important it is to have community input, whether it be through music or song and dance, Aboriginal people make a very important contribution to Australian society and we want to celebrate that.”

Abie was working as an Aboriginal tour guide and his brother as a youthworker, when they started performing over a decade ago as a way to inspire young people around them. They were the first Aboriginal band to perform on Triple J’s Live at the Wireless and began touring across the country.

“We saw many young people who needed more positivity in their life and we found they connected really well with hip-hop and that’s a great tool to encourage and inspire them,” Abie said.

“It was a time when hip hop was new to Australia, and there were groups like the Hilltop Hoods who were pioneers. It was an exciting time, because we were really young and getting right into it.

“Now, we feel we’re just fortunate to be at that point where we’re doing things that we’ve always wanted to do.”

VIBE Australia executive producer Gavin Jones said NAIDOC in the City was an opportunity to not only experience our oldest living culture in one of Sydney’s well known locations, but for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to come together and celebrate the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity of Sydney.

“NAIDOC Week offers everyone the opportunity to support their local Indigenous community. It’s a very special week on our national calendar, and the celebrations planned for NAIDOC in the City will showcase the best of our culture, traditions and achievements,” Mr Jones said.

“Importantly, through this year’s NAIDOC theme, we are remembering the vision, strength and commitment of our early activists the Yolngu people to protect their land; and how the legacy of these incredible people continues today.”

The theme for NAIDOC Week 2013 is We Value the Vision: Yirrkala Bark Petitions 1963, which will mark the 50th anniversary of this important turning point in traditional rights and ownership.

The two bark petitions were sent by the Yolngu people, of Yirrkala in northeast Arnhem Land, to the Australian House of Representatives in August 1963, protesting the Commonwealth’s granting of mining rights on land excised from Arnhem Land, and to recognise the land as belonging to the Yolngu people.

The petitions were the first traditional documents to be recognised by Australian law and set into motion a long process of legislative and constitutional reforms for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as well as the nation’s acknowledgment of their land rights.

NAIDOC Week, from 7-14 July, celebrates the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, which grew from the first political groups of the 1920s.

Other NAIDOC in the City activities include a dedicated Kidzone and basket weaving workshops, with more performers and activities to be announced in coming weeks.

NAIDOC in the City

11am-3pm, Monday 8 July

Hyde Park North

sydneynaidoc.com.au

Other NAIDOC Week events hosted by the City:

Redfern flag raising ceremony

9.30am, Monday 8 July

Redfern Community Centre, 29-53 Hugo Street, Redfern

The City of Sydney’s annual flag raising ceremony at Redfern Community Centre will include refreshments and transport to the NAIDOC in the City, Hyde Park event.

Aboriginal Photography Exhibition

1 July-31 August

Newtown Library, 8-10 Brown Street, Newtown

In conjunction with Amnesty International and Demand Dignity NSW, Tali Gallery Rozelle has curated a travelling exhibition of photos showing cultural practices and art creation in remote communities.

Torres Strait Islander artist talk

6-8pm, Tuesday 9 July

Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre, Level 1, 405 Crown Street, Surry Hills

Artist Glen Mackie discusses how his Torres Strait Islander heritage inspires his intricate linoprint artworks, on show in the library from 1 July-31 August. Patricia Adjei, the Copyright Agency’s Indigenous legal officer, will also discuss copyright for Indigenous artists, resale royalties, and cultural intellectual property rights.

Free; bookings essential on 02 9265 7576

Indigenous youth linoprint workshop

2-4pm, Wednesday 10 July

Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre, Level 1, 405 Crown Street, Surry Hills

Zenadh-Kes artist Glen Mackie, from the Torres Strait, hosts a printmaking workshop for young people.

Free; bookings essential on 02 9265 7576

Aboriginal watercolours talk

6-7pm, Wednesday 10 July

Customs House Library, Level 2, 31 Alfred Street, Circular Quay

Di Stevens, curator at Tali Gallery, talks about Ngurratjuta Arts Centre in Alice Springs, which supports over 300 Aboriginal artists, with a special focus on the Hermannsburg school artists that continue the watercolour landscapes tradition. There are about 15 artists that paint in the watercolour style, being descendants of Albert Namatjira. Arrive early to see an exhibition of their works on level one, from 1 July-31 August.

Free; bookings essential on 02 9265 7576

NAIDOC Week events supported by the City:

Sunday 7 July, midday–4pm: Family Fun Day and Aboriginal History Tour

Glebe Public School, 9-25 Derwent Street, Glebe; phone 02 9566 1285.

Friday 12 July, 9am–5pm: Inner City NAIDOC Family and Sports Day

National Centre for Indigenous Excellence, 180 George Street, Redfern; Phone 0412 206 205.

Saturday 13 July, 10am–4pm: Woolloomooloo NAIDOC Family Day 2013

Forbes Street Reserve, Woolloomooloo; phone 02 9368 1381.

For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus, phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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The focus will be on one of Sydney’s most popular and colourful neighbourhoods with the launch of the Love Surry Hills photography competition which opened today.

The City of Sydney and Surry Hills shopkeepers are encouraging residents and visitors to hit the streets with their cameras to capture their favourite slice of life for their chance to win a $750 Surry Hills shopping spree.

Census statistics released last month found Surry Hills was one of the four most densely populated locations in Australia.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the neighbourhood had a huge variety of residents with countless stories to tell.

“It’s not hard to see why Surry Hills is such a popular neighbourhood for people to live in, with its fantastic community spirit, great parks and opens spaces, cafes, small bars and unique shops,” the Lord Mayor said.

“The back streets and laneways of Surry Hills are home to tucked-away art galleries, pocket parks, playgrounds and other hidden gems. This competition is a great way for people to share their favourite streetscapes, people, shops or art with others.”

Magdalena Duma is the owner of a clothing shop on Crown Street, which specialises in European-style women’s wear and special occasion clothing, featuring leather, studs, sequins and corsetry.

“Surry Hills is more designer, high fashion and very much on-trend, so for me, moving here has been the best business decision I have made,” Ms Duma said.

“The clientele understand my product and appreciate that it’s designed and made in Australia.

“It’s a great place to photograph because there’s lots of texture and colour, nature and old buildings, quirky stores, cafes and bars – there’s loads to photograph.

For the past two years, Gillian Elliott has been manager of the Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre, which runs the annual Surry Hills Festival and the popular Surry Hills Markets, held on the first Saturday of the month at Shannon Reserve.

“Surry Hills is beautiful, it’s glitzy and glamorous, but there’s also this more down-to-earth heart made up of people who have been living here for decades and who have a wealth of experience – it’s not all young hipsters – and I love that diversity,” Ms Elliott said.

“I also think it’s a fabulous suburb to look at because it has a nice mix of traditional and modern Sydney, as well as social housing, which adds to its unique character and charm.

“I would encourage budding photographers to try and capture the essence of the suburb and look at the uniqueness of the people that live here.”

Entry to the Love Surry Hills photography competition is free and open for entries from Monday 3 June to 8pm Sunday 30 June.

The 10 best entries will be exhibited at Surry Hills Community Centre and the community invited to vote for their favourite throughout July, with the winner announced in August.

The winner will receive $750 worth of shopping vouchers, which can be spent in their choice of up to three shops in Surry Hills.

For more information, visit lovesurryhills.com.au

For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus, phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the prize was designed to encourage projects that improve the quality of the public domain, making the city more liveable, interesting and engaging.

“We need to celebrate the imaginative, innovative and inspiring design that gives our city its personality,” the Lord Mayor said.

In the running are: The Art Gallery of New South Wales Forecourt Upgrade by Johnson Pilton Walker; Darling Quarter by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (fjmt) with ASPECT Studios and Lend Lease; Newtown Interchange by Caldis Cook Group in association with the NSW Government Architect’s office; The Wayside Chapel by Environa Studio; and VSQ2 by Tony Caro Architecture.

“These projects accentuate the quality of our open spaces and urban environments,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Each one makes the most of its urban backdrop, creating wonderful open spaces to be discovered and enjoyed.”

The winner of the first Lord Mayor’s prize will be announced as part of the 2013 NSW Architecture Awards next month on 27 June.

Australian Institute of Architects’ NSW Chapter President, Joe Agius, said the prize was an exciting addition to the annual NSW Architecture Awards and an opportunity to celebrate the work of architects as place makers and collaborators within the city.

“This prize recognises architects and projects that, through their creativity, have played a key role in bringing new life and texture to a range of places across the city,” Mr Agius said.

Mr Agius said the City of Sydney had been a leading advocate of architecture during Clover Moore’s time as Lord Mayor.

“The Institute is pleased to have developed this new prize in close collaboration with the Lord Mayor and senior Council staff, and I recognise and thank my predecessor Matthew Pullinger for the key role he played in helping to make this prize a reality.”

The Lord Mayor said the awards program acknowledged the skill and creativity of architects, and also encouraged exceptional work.

About the Prize

The City of Sydney Lord Mayor’s Prize will be awarded to a project that improves the quality of the public domain through architectural or urban design excellence and may be for, or include, public art.

The project must be located within the City of Sydney Local Government Area.

The prize will be awarded to a project team that includes at least one member of the Australian Institute of Architects.

Projects have been shortlisted for the prize from all 2013 NSW Architecture Award entries, except single residential dwelling houses and residential alterations and additions, by the City of Sydney’s Director of City Planning, Development and Transport, Graham Jahn AM.

The Lord Mayor will select the winner from this shortlist and the inaugural City of Sydney Lord Mayor’s Prize will be presented at the 2013 NSW Architecture Awards on Thursday 27 June at the historic Doltone House venue at Jones Bay Wharf.

More information on the Awards, please visit http://nswawards.architecture.com.au

For more information and high resolution images contact Laura Wise, Australian Institute of Architects on 02 9246 4012 or laura.wise@architecture.com.au

For interviews with the Lord Mayor contact Matthew Levinson, City of Sydney on 02 9265 9752 or mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Residents can do their bit for World Environment Day by surrendering old and obsolete televisions, tablets, mobiles and computers at the City of Sydney’s free electronic waste collection today.

All kinds of e-waste can be dropped off at the City’s Bay Street Depot, corner Bay and Macarthur Streets, Ultimo, on Sunday 3 June from 9am to 3pm.

Last year residents turned in a record 2,218 items of e-waste weighing 78 tonnes – a 20 per cent increase on 2011, and more than double the amount collected in 2009, the first full year of the scheme.

Between 95 to 99 per cent of the materials are recovered and recycled.

“The best thing about the recycling program is that it prevents hazardous chemicals like mercury, lead and cadmium ending up in landfill and polluting our waterways,” said Leisha Deguara, Resource Recovery Manager.

“This is a very tangible, practical step residents can make to do their bit for World Environment Day on Wednesday 5 June and help reduce Australia’s fastest growing form of waste”.

Australians generate more than 140,000 tonnes of e-waste each year – a figure set to hit 700 million tonnes in the next ten years – and most of it ends up in landfill.

E-waste is responsible for 70 per cent of the toxic chemicals found in landfill.

The national scheme to recycle televisions and computers, involving government and industry, aims to increase recycling rates from 17 per cent to 80 per cent by 2021-22.

For more information: http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/live/waste-and-recycling/special-collections-and-drop-offs/e-waste or www.zerowaste.org.au.

For more information, contact City of Sydney Media Adviser Jo Wathen, on 0438 669 650, or email jwathen@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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A major worm farm trial in the heart of Newtown’s eatery precinct has halved the total waste of a local restaurant and juice shop, saving on rubbish bills and converting waste to free fertilizer for local residents.

The Green Living Centre, funded jointly by the City of Sydney and Marrickville councils, has coordinated a successful six-month trial of the farm utilizing a 1,500-litre skip bin at their King Street office in Newtown to house the worms

Project Manager, Mithra Cox, said the farm had diverted 462 kilograms, of the equivalent of 6,500 hamburgers, of food waste and scraps from two local businesses Boost Juice Newtown and Soffritto Restaurant.

Food waste makes up about a third of total household waste and  about half of a restaurant’s waste.

The worm farm has also produced 323 litres of organic fertilizer, which has been given away to local residents at the Green Living Centre. It is also expected to produce about 40 kilograms of compost.

“The worm farm plays an important role in turning food waste into a valuable organic fertilizer, and diverting waste from landfill,” Ms Cox said.

“This trial has shown that large worm farms can handle commercial quantities of food waste and halve the amount of waste going to landfill from restaurants and food outlets.”

Sustainability Program Officer, Jonathan Boys, said the composting trial was part of the City’s strategy to reduce waste and methane emissions from landfill.

“The City is helping business to implement simple and cost-effective ways to reduce waste from their daily operations and improve waste management,” said Mr Boys.

Owner of Soffritto restaurant, Matthew Green, said: “We love contributing to the worm farm. It saves on costs and minimises landfill from our restaurant. This is good for our business and for the environment.”

Boost Juice Newtown owner, Raewyn McCardle, said: “As a juice bar, we generate lots of fruit pulp.  It felt great that instead of filling up our rubbish bin, our fruit pulp became a valuable resource that was turned into organic fertilizer.”

Ms Cox said the next stage of the program would involve establishing trial worm farms on-site at restaurants and food outlets.

The City of Sydney is part of Compost Revolution, an on line quiz designed to give people a basic understanding of how to compost or worm farm effectively to encourage waste reduction. Local residents who go on line and complete the quiz will receive more than 50% of a worm farm or composter for a limited time; compostrevolution.com.au/cityofsydney

The City also hosted a worm farming workshop at Green Square on 25 May to show how to turn food waste into healthy garden soil as part of its regular series of sustainability workshops. Keep a watch out at greenvillages.com.au  for upcoming workshops.

For more information contact: City of Sydney  Media Adviser Jo Wathen, phone 02 9265 9582 or email jwathen@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Sabrina Soares wrote her first song at 13 as an assignment in her first year of high school. Three years later, she has 80 original songs to her name and is determined that music is going to be her life.

Sabrina is one of the stars of the future being groomed at the music studio at the City of Sydney’s Redfern Community Centre, which offers some of the most advanced community music programs in Australia.

The studio has attracted some high-profile attention for its programs, including visits from Black Eyed Peas vocalist Taboo in 2009, and a surprise visit by Sir Richard Branson in 2011 to support an indigenous kids’ singing program that was sponsored by his Virgin Group.

“There was this competition in year 7 to write a song in one day,” Sabrina, the quietly-spoken 16-year-old, says of her school assignment. “It was tough, but I got through it. It wasn’t the greatest song ever,” she says with a laugh.

“After I finished it I liked the idea of being able to put out my feelings through songs. Music and songwriting allow me to get a better understanding of my situation and problems. And I have so much fun doing it. It makes me happy.”

Sabrina sings with a soft, lilting voice and plays acoustic guitar – think Missy Higgins or early Taylor Swift. The songs are country-influenced, with a modern pop edge. Like her heroes, she incorporates country, modern pop, even spoken-word rap in a style that defies easy genre references.

She’s recorded several songs at StudioRCC, and is working on more with the help of a $500 scholarship she won in April as part of the City’s Betty Makin Youth Awards. When seven or eight of her best songs are complete, she plans to release an EP through social media and iTunes. In the meantime, she’s building her profile with gigs around Sydney and busking.

Sabrina’s in year 11 and finishing school, but a music career is more than a dream. “I realised at 14, nothing else was important to me. I’ve only got this – plan A. So I’m going full-steam ahead,” she says.

StudioRCC is a single, snug, soundproofed room at the top of the stairs at Redfern Community Centre, one of the busiest in Australia and a focal point for the area’s increasingly diverse local community. An upright piano sits against one wall. Acoustic and electric guitars hang from brackets nearby and lean against walls, desks, and anything else upright.

Cords snake across the floor between microphones and a computer with the powerful digital recording programs Logic Pro and Pro Tools, which allow artists to recreate the sounds of a full backing band for professional-standard recordings.

The studio is designed as an accessible, user-friendly facility that gives the community opportunities to learn and be creative in music and sound production.

It’s home to the RCC Music Program, which includes regular free music classes and workshops for young people and adults. Courses include a seven-week beginner’s guitar course, a fun singing group for beginners and VoiceWorks, a workshop for developing singers and performers. The studio program includes an introductory course on recording, one on composing and recording music using Logic Pro and creative development courses.

The studio buzzes with activity, and everyone from teens looking for a jam session to electronic DJs, first-time choir singers and serious musos can be found there on any day of the week.

The centre is a microcosm of Redfern’s transformation from a troubled past as one of Sydney’s most poverty- and crime-ridden neighbourhoods. It is now a welcoming, diverse and culturally rich inner-city community.

Since it opened in 2004, the centre has grown into a dynamic inner-city facility attracting over 6,000 people a month and providing a wide range of services and programs to all community groups, with a focus on art, culture, employment and training.

The celebrity interest in the centre stems from its role in providing services to disadvantaged youth in the area and strengthening the community. The Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo visited along with US fashion designer Donna Karan to support an exhibition by Aboriginal artist and singer Clifton Bieundurry. Branson’s visit was in support of the On Track singing program for local kids.

Other celebrity visitors to the centre over the years have included HRH Prince William, actor Russel Crowe and UK performer Lady Sovereign.

Another emerging artist at the centre is Tim Gray. He was born into a family living on The Block but was given up for adoption at just a few months old. At 13, he ran away from his foster home and entered a downward spiral of alcohol and drug abuse that left him living on the streets around Redfern and Woolloomooloo. Five years ago, he decided to turn his life around, entered rehabilitation and rediscovered his childhood music talent.

“I was fostered out to a non-indigenous family, which was great because I got a really good education and particularly in music. I was classically trained in piano, from the ages of seven to 12,” Tim says.

“Then things happened. My foster mother died, so I ran away, and ended up back at The Block. I took a lot of drugs and alcohol. I was a very confused child around that time. I drank unmanageably from the age of 14 to the age of 30.”

At rehab in northern NSW one day, he says a song came to him, and he’s never looked back. Music became an opportunity to help his recovery and improve his life. Back in Sydney, he threw himself into musical study, building on his classical skills by learning piano chords and contemporary styles, as well as the craft of song writing.

He joined Redfern local band the Black Turtles, and became involved with the community centre through the Block Harmony vocal group. He became a regular around the centre, performing in various guises at community events and scoring music for a local film production. More songs started to come.

Now he’s recording solo, negotiating with Koori Radio’s Gadigal Records on a recording deal, and building his repertoire. Tracks like the bluesy “Namatjira Haven” and the reggae-influenced “Social Revolution” are deeply personal with a political edge. He’s devoted to the Redfern community, and recently started giving piano lessons at the centre.

“The community centre to me is the heartbeat of The Block at the moment. A lot of people say The Block is not the same as it was. It is going through a change. For me, this place is keeping the block alive,” Tim says. “If it wasn’t for AA and this place, I would be dead.”

Behind the controls at Studio RCC is Tania Bowra, the centre’s music coordinator and a singer-songwriter with three albums of her own.

“People like Sabrina and Tim don’t come along every day. They are incredibly talented and I’m really proud that we can encourage and support people with this kind of talent,” she said. “It goes to show how much is out there in our community.”

For Sabrina, StudioRCC gives her the chance to develop and record her songs in an environment she would never be able to afford otherwise because of the cost of professional studios.

“We have everything here – the knowledge of the people, equipment, everything. And it’s so good to come here, and we have fun,” says Sabrina’s dad Valerio, her manager and mentor. He played Bossanova guitar as an amateur in his homeland of Brazil before the family migrated to Australia, and it was his guitar Sabrina first picked up.

“Here we can get so much,” he says of the centre. “It’s because the people are in this culture of community, of giving, of sharing. The people are nice. The people are kind. Everyone we’ve met through this support is so nice.”

Both Sabrina and Tim hope to have tracks recorded at the centre out on Facebook, CD or iTunes later this year.

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Sydneysiders can check out the view from Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, enjoy free films, a pop-up bar and bookstore and meet film directors when the Sydney Film Festival Hub returns to Sydney Town Hall.

The City of Sydney is a major sponsor of the festival which this year, like Rear Window, celebrates its 60th anniversary.

The festival hub runs alongside the main event from 6-14 June and film buffs can enjoy the Rear Window Loop video installation and other free daily entertainment, from comedy to trivia, panel discussions and screenings.

“After a successful run last year, we’re bringing the festival hub back to Lower Town Hall,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“The Sydney Film Festival is unique in showcasing the best of Australian and international film and documentary-making talent. The extraordinary range of screenings on offer, along with satellite events like the hub and a buzzing festival atmosphere, make this one of Sydney’s most exciting festivals.

The hub is open until midnight every day during the festival and all talks, screenings, workshops and other events are free.

Food and drink is available at the hub’s festival bar and there’s also a Kinokuniya Pop-Up Bookstore, featuring a collection of books and DVDs inspired by the festival program. Film Club will be held from 5pm-6pm daily, where critics will encourage people to share their reviews of festival films.

There will also be discount $10 tickets to selected festival screenings available at the Hub Ticketing Lounge until 8.30pm daily.

Rear Window Loop is a 20-minute panoramic three-channel video projection by artist Jeff Desom. The video reconstructs the view from James Stewart’s New York window in Hitchcock’s 1954 classic suspense thriller. The video will be screened twice daily from 5pm-6pm and 10pm-midnight.

In partnership with the festival, the City is co-presenting two screenings of Danish filmmaker Andreas Dalsgaard’s The Human Scale, which documents the international influence of urban-planning maestro Jan Gehl around the globe.

The Danish planner and architect’s vision to reclaim public spaces inspired Melbourne’s laneways culture, the City’s Sustainable Sydney 2030 plan and even a reimagining of New York’s Time Square.

The screenings on Thursday 6 June and Saturday 8 June at Event Cinemas will be followed by an audience discussion with the filmmaker, Gehl Architects’ David Sims and producer Signe Byrge Sorensen.

The City is also sponsoring a free hub screening of Mr Dalsgaard’s Cities on Speed: Bogota Change, a 2009 documentary that charts the transformation of Colombia’s largest city. The film shows how over a decade two mayors, Antanas Mockus and Enrique Penalosa, used unorthodox methods to turn one of the world’s most violent and corrupt cities into a peaceful and model city with more caring citizens.

The screening, from midday on Saturday 8 June, will be followed by a Q&A with Mr Dalsgaard and award-winning Sydney architect Stephen Collier, who will discuss how the documentary explores civic issues, sustainability and public transport.

The City will also host a free morning tea and seniors screening of William Yang: My Generation, at Dendy Opera Quays at 10.45am on Saturday 15 June.

The documentary from the veteran Sydney photographer explores his friendships with artists, writers and fashion designers including Brett Whiteley, Patrick White and Jenny Kee. This is a free event for seniors or Health Care Card holders. Bookings are essential on 02 9265 9973 and some transport is available.

The City provided $15,000 in funding for the publication of a commemorative online publication, Sydney Film Festival 1954 to Now, which traces the history of Sydney Film Festival – the sixth-oldest in the world.

The free e-book, launched in March, gives an insight into Sydneysiders’ shifting film tastes and the changing face of the city since 1954 via 37 historical essays, and a searchable list of all 8,580 films that have screened in that time.

The e-book is available to view at http://online.sffarchive.org.au

For more information, visit sff.org.au

For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus, phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Dilapidated buildings will be renovated and new buildings constructed on the old South Sydney Hospital site in Zetland under a new City of Sydney master plan for Green Square now on exhibition

The local community is being asked what it thinks of the plan for a childcare centre, creative art spaces for exhibition, performance and rehearsal, a health centre and a community hall.

The new community facilities will complement a new $40 million library and plaza in the Green Square Town Centre. Young Sydney architects Matthias Hollenstein won the City’s international design competition for the project earlier this year.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the City was doing the long-term planning and consultation needed to make sure Green Square will be a successful community as it continues to grow.

“As more and more people live and work in Green Square, it is vital we provide them with the facilities to help the community develop and flourish,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Our new master plan puts the former South Sydney Hospital site to great use for the community. We’re asking people what they think of the plan, and what they think the best community uses for the site could be.

“The City of Sydney is spending more than $400 million to help turn Green Square into a sustainable, high density village. Building new community facilities, a library, plaza and open space in the Green Square Town Centre are our top priorities.”

Green Square is now the fastest growing part of Central Sydney. The new master plan outlines how the new community facilities will be developed in two stages.

In the first stage, three heritage buildings will be restored to house creative art spaces, studios, exhibition areas and a community shed. A childcare centre catering for up to 60 children will be established and new affordable housing will be constructed on the site.

The second stage of works will include a community hall, performance and rehearsal space, a community health centre and a small retail area including cafes.

The hospital site master plan is available at is http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/vision/on-exhibition/current-exhibitions/details/south-sydney-hospital-site-master-plan

Printed copies are available for inspection at:

One Stop Shop at the City of Sydney

Level 2, Town Hall House, 456 Kent Street, Sydney

Monday to Friday: 8am to 6pm

Green Square Service Centre

100 Joynton Avenue, Zetland

Monday to Friday: 10am to 6pm

Have your say

Submissions can be emailed to saphillips@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au or posted to:

‘South Sydney Hospital master plan’

Chief Executive Officer

Attention: Sabrina Phillips

City of Sydney

GPO Box 1591, Sydney, NSW 2001

Please send your submission by 17 June 2013.

For more information visit: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For media enquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Media Specialist Matthew Moore phone 0431 050 963 or email mmoore@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin on
0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Sydneysiders looking to make their homes more environmentally friendly have the chance to meet some of Australia’s ‘hottest’ green architects and designers at a free speed-dating session this weekend.

Run by the Alternative Technology Association and funded by the City of Sydney, the event connects residents considering home renovations with leading experts on everything from solar power and rainwater tanks to using recycled materials.

Participants are offered 13-minute ‘dates’ with at least two designers of their choice, where they can ask questions about sustainable design, get feedback on prospective plans or seek inspiration for a future project – with no obligation to see the designer again.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the event was a great opportunity for environmentally conscious Sydneysiders to check their ideas with like-minded architects and designers.

“Whether you’ve just started a renovation or need inspiration for a future project, this is a chance to run your plans past some of Sydney’s leading design professionals in a relaxed, no-strings-attached environment,” the Lord Mayor said.

“We’re supporting this project as part of our Green Villages program, which promotes simple, practical and affordable ways residents can create a more sustainable community.”

The Alternative Technology Association is an independent, not-for-profit organisation providing residents across the country with practical advice on how to make their homes cheaper to run, more comfortable to live in and more environmentally friendly.

Their Speed Date a Sustainable Designer event was first held in Sydney last year, attracting more than 80 homeowners and 17 architects and designers.

More than 50 Sydneysiders have already registered for this weekend’s event at Paddington Town Hall, but spots are still available for dates with a wide range of leading architects and designers. In between dates, participants can also visit stalls featuring information on sustainable living.

Acting CEO of the Alternative Technology Association, Donna Luckman, said the speed dating session was perfect for Sydneysiders thinking about, planning or undergoing a home redesign project.

“Speed Date a Sustainable Designer is designed to inspire people about what they can do in their homes,” Ms Luckman said.

“By thinking and acting green, you can save money on energy bills and improve the comfort of your home while doing your bit for the environment. It’s empowering and fun!”

Prospective speed daters can research their designer dates first at http://sdsd.ata.org.au/sydney/

Speed Date a Sustainable Designer

Date:               Saturday 1 June 2013
Time:              2.30 – 4.30pm
Where:            Paddington Town Hall – 249 Oxford Street, Paddington
Cost:               Free – but registration is essential at http://sdsd.ata.org.au/sydney

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Keeley Irvin.
Phone 0448 005 718 or email kirvin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matt Levinson.
Phone 0427 044 768 or email mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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The free Live Music 101 will give prospective venue operators practical information on how to organise and promote live performances, as well as which approvals are needed and how to avoid noise complaints.

Hear about development applications and the rules on noise and neighbours, as well as insights from industry bodies such as MusicNSW and the Australasian Performing Right Association.

The team behind the Newtown Social Club will talk about their recent restoration of Sydney’s landmark live music venue the Sandringham Hotel.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said music was still the number one cultural activity for Sydneysiders.

“We need more venues for artists to perform in, and more places where audiences can see them play,” the Lord Mayor said.

“But regulations around live music can be complex and we need to balance the rights of residents and other businesses.

“This seminar gives small bar operators, venue owners and other businesses practical help to put on live music and attract a crowd without running into problems.”

The seminar follows the launch of the City’s Live Music Task Force, which will report later this year on options for planning, noise abatement and licensing rules to encourage live music.

Live music and the issues facing the industry will also be the topic for discussion at a City Conversation to be held in Sydney Town Hall on 26 June.

Topics to be covered at the Live Music 101 seminar include:

• City of Sydney requirements, including      development applications
• What it takes to book and promote a show
• An update on the City’s Live Music Task Force
• Case study – Newtown Social Club.

Guitar-and-singing duo Stationmasters will kick-start the event with a live performance.

The seminar is one of a series that the City runs during the year to encourage small businesses and diversity in the city, especially after dark. Seminars this year include how-to guides on small bars, pop up events and food trucks.

Live Music 101

Date:    Wednesday, 29 May

Time:  6:30pm – 8:30pm

Venue: Customs House, Barnet Long Room

31 Alfred Street

Circular Quay

Attendance is free but bookings are essential. For more information and to book your place click here.

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Rohan Sullivan, phone 02 9246 7298 or 0414 617 086, or email rsullivan@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matt Levinson 0427 044 768 or mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Big business can save millions of dollars in operating costs, avoid wasting millions of litres of water and prevent thousands of tonnes of waste just by adopting some simple green habits and actions.

Thanks to a new Sydney Water grant and matching funding from the City of Sydney, the Smart Green Business program will target 200 businesses – including hotels, restaurants, clubs, large retailers, conference venues and pubs – to implement easy water, waste and energy strategies that offer collective savings of $2 million each year.

This latest program builds on work the City has already done with small and medium sized businesses to reduce costs and environmental impact.

“As Australia’s largest city we are in a unique position to demonstrate how simple, practical changes can add together to make large environmental and financial savings,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

“By 2030, we aim to reduce water use by 10 per cent and carbon pollution by 70 per cent. Smart Green Business is helping make this happen with advice, support and hands-on experience. It’s a good example of how government and business can work together for the benefit of the entire community.”

Each year, businesses getting involved in the program will collectively help to:

• Save 600 mega litres of water – the equivalent of 240 Olympic-sized swimming pools;
• Reduce carbon pollution by 7,000 tonnes – the same as taking 600 cars off the road; and
• Save $2 million a year in costs.

The 330 small and medium businesses that have been part of the program since 2009 are non-office based – mostly cafes, clubs, serviced apartments and restaurants. They have made simple changes like using LED lighting, energy-efficient appliances and aerated taps, and replacing leaking seals on older taps.

Each year participating businesses have been able to save a combined average of:

• Around $7,000 (or around $1.8 million across the whole program);
• 440 mega litres of water;
• 2,900 tonnes of waste;
• 4,525 tonnes of carbon pollution.

The program is part-funded by Sydney Water. Businesses wanting to take part can visit cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/business/initiatives/greening-your-business/smart-green-business

For more information, contact City of Sydney Media Adviser Jo Wathen on 0467 810 160 or email jwathen@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with the Lord Mayor Clover Moore contact Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Bookworms stuck at home or in hospital are being encouraged to take advantage of the City of Sydney’s Home Library service, which delivers books direct to residents’ doors.

The Home Library service team already visits 35 homes, seven aged-care hostels and 13 childcare centres across Sydney each week, making sure no one misses out on the joy of reading.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the Home Library service was a valuable outreach program, and a Sydney tradition that had been in operation since 1955.

“People in our community who are confined to their homes, hostels or hospitals don’t have to miss out on some of the small things we take for granted, like a trip to the library,” Ms Moore said.

“For these people the Home Library service is a precious resource that enables them to keep up with the latest or favourite books, DVDs and magazines, while also connecting them to their community.”

Home Library service users can choose from the hundreds of thousands of books, toys and CDs in the City’s library network or they can rely on the librarians’ recommendations.

The service’s librarians deliver over 600 books each fortnight. Scandinavian crime novels are popular with users, and other regularly borrowed titles include Robert Kaplan’s The Exceptional Brain and Edmund de Waal’s memoir, The Hare with Amber Eyes.

Former Australian Women’s Weekly and Fairfax Media journalist Elizabeth Sim is passionate about books and reading and was a regular visitor to Kings Cross Library until she lost a leg to illness 10 years ago.

Now using a wheelchair, Ms Sim, 82, said she found it too difficult to make the trip to the library and had relied on the Home Library service for the past seven years.

“The Home Library service is wonderful because I can’t get to the library, but I love reading and would take out about two books a week,” Ms Sim said.

“The librarians come to my house each fortnight to deliver the books and they are very friendly and usually bring me fairly new books that have been published this year. They know I like biographies and art and, as a rule, their choices have always been superb.”

For more information phone 02 9265 9705 or visit cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/library

For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathan Larkin on 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Finding your favourite food truck and telling your friends about it is easier than ever, after an upgrade to the City of Sydney’s popular food truck phone app.

With the app’s real-time messages, Instagram pics of the day‘s delicious food, schedules and new sharing options, foodies can track the gourmet fleet’s movements, plan culinary adventures and meet friends.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the iPhone and Android phone app was the number one way customers found mobile food trucks.

“Our food truck app has been downloaded more than 42,000 times since it launched last September, and it’s still being downloaded an average 6,000 times a month,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Sydneysiders have taken to the food trucks because they respond to a need for convenient, delicious food when and where people want it, especially late at night.”

“At the touch of a screen you can find out where the nearest truck is, what its serving and how long it’ll be at a given location – even how long it’ll take you to walk there.”

New and upgraded features to make it even easier to find trucks include:

• Opt-in ‘push’ notifications that send users real-time messages from trucks as soon as they start serving at a particular spot;
• Easy-to-spot green pins on a map showing trucks that are service and an orange pin listing their next location;
• A schedule tab for each truck, showing their upcoming trading location, date and time of service;
• New features to share the trucks’ status messages, locations, updates, photos and their menu items via Twitter, Email, SMS and Facebook; and
• A new Instragram function.

The City’s sydneyfoodtrucks.com.au website has been updated with the same features.

New research shows the food truck program already has a large and loyal fan base and continues to attract new customers and generate new business in the city.

Nine trucks are now operating, offering quality fare from Mexican to pasta, pastizzi, yum cha and modern Australian fusion on selected streets and in parks, plazas and other public places around the city.

Food truck services were among the ideas Sydneysiders proposed when the City asked what they wanted for their city at night. In adding a new layer to Sydney’s dining scene, they have become a regular feature at events and festivals.

The Sydney food trucks app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google play. See sydneyfoodtrucks.com.au for details.

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Rohan Sullivan, phone 02 9246 7298 or 0414 617 086, or email rsullivan@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Poetry by inmates and poems pasted on Council trucks have put the art of verse at the forefront of this year’s Sydney Writers’ Festival.

Unlocked: Poets, Police and Prisoners is a free festival event this week showcasing the groundbreaking poetry workshops in correctional centres across NSW organised by The Red Room Company.

Run in collaboration with Corrective Services NSW, the Unlocked workshops give inmates the opportunity to work with award-winning poets on reading, writing, publishing and performing poetry, and to tell their stories – often for the first time.

At the festival event on Sunday 26 May, the professional poets will share their experiences of working on the Unlocked program, and their own poetry that emerged from it.

Video recordings of poems written and performed by inmates in the original workshops will screen before and after the event.

The Red Room Company’s general manager Olivia Wright said the not-for-profit organisation, creates, promotes and publishes poetry in ‘unusual ways’ and promotes young and emerging poets, especially those voices from regional and remote Australia.

“We’ve seen remarkable outcomes from Unlocked, not just with improved literacy, but with the inmates’ self-confidence and esteem as well,” Ms Wright said.

“At first when we go in the response is like, ‘you’re kidding, poetry?’ but then they suddenly realise that poetry is also about breaking rules: you don’t have to have punctuation, good spelling or correct grammar.

“For those inmates in particular whose literacy is really poor, they are taken by poetry as a communication tool, and what we get is these deeply personal stories they may never have been able to express before.

“I think there’s a real catharsis in having the tools available to say something that you may not have been able to say before.”

Recurring themes from the inmates’ poetry include addiction, love, life on the land, freedom, self-exploration, family and family breakdown.

The free event will be held from 3pm-4pm on Sunday 26 May at Philharmonia Studio, Pier 4/5, Walsh Bay, and is presented by Johanna Featherstone and The Red Room Company.

Speakers include Kenneth Slessor Prize-shortlisted poet Philip Hammial, inner-west Sydney MC/songwriter Solo, performance poet Gareth Jenkins and Gamilaroi wordsmith Lorna Munro.

The City of Sydney has supported The Red Room Company since 2006 through its grants and sponsorship program.

Unlocked: Poets, Police and Prisoners is one of more than 35 poetry-related events during this year’s festival.

Throughout the week-long festival, poetry will also be roaming the streets with an 11-strong fleet of City cleansing trucks decorated in poems, from ancient Greek epics to contemporary Australian verse.

Each truck features two giant poems, measuring more than two metres wide and one metre high, with a total of 19 poems appearing in the series.

The Sydney Writers’ Festival is one of the largest writers’ festivals in the world, attracting more than 80,000 attendances and featuring over 400 writers and authors each year.

The City has been a major sponsor of the event since its launch in the late 1990s, and in 2012 announced a significant funding boost for the 2013 and 2014 festivals, worth $330,000 each year.

The 2013 Sydney Writers’ Festival runs from 20-26 May. For more information, visit: swf.org.au

For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus, phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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A weekly Bangkok-style food market, new experimental performance spaces and world-class artworks on ferries are just some of the brilliant ideas Sydneysiders have suggested to enhance Sydney’s cultural life.

Hundreds of residents, workers and visitors have already had their say on how to boost culture and creativity in Sydney, in response to the Creative City cultural policy discussion paper released in March.

There are now just two weeks left until the consultation period closes on 31 May.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore encouraged Sydneysiders to think about what kind of creative life they want for Sydney, and submit their ideas at http://sydneyyoursay.com.au/creativecity.

“From museums and concert halls to street art and small bars, creativity is an essential part of Sydney’s lifeblood,” the Lord Mayor said.

“We’ve already received dozens of fantastic ideas for improving our city’s cultural life – from night markets to open-mic karaoke in public squares.”

“With just two weeks of consultation left, it’s time to get creative and share your ideas for Sydney’s cultural future.”

The top 10 brilliant ideas Sydneysiders have submitted so far include:

• Launching weekly pop-up southeast Asian food markets in city centre hot spots, inspired by cities like Bangkok and Singapore;
• Inviting famous Australian artists to create artworks to appear on Sydney’s ferry fleet, with residents able to vote on their favourite designs;
• Installing permanent, well-lit table tennis, chess and checkers facilities in parks across the city centre, giving workers an enjoyable alternative to going for a post-work drink;
• Encouraging more live music on the city streets by nominating areas where up-and-coming musicians can play pop-up gigs for free;
• Changing planning laws in the inner-city to encourage the development of a vibrant and diverse 24-hour creative economy;
• Building at least one new lyric theatre in the city centre to attract more musicals, opera and ballet, and bring more national and world premieres to Sydney;
• Establishing an official ‘speakers’ corner’ in the heart of the city to give Sydneysiders and visitors a public forum to debate the issues of the day;
• Identifying and supporting new spaces throughout the city centre and villages that give emerging creatives the chance to develop experimental art, music and performance works;
• Encouraging cultural education institutions to offer budding artists and designers free or affordable access to their facilities and equipment when not teaching; and
• Holding Sunday afternoon ‘open mic’ karaoke sessions in public squares and parks where budding performers can strut their stuff in front of an audience of thousands (if they dare).

The City will invest more than $34 million this year to support Sydney’s creative life, including a program of world-class free public events, sponsorships for the city’s major festivals, grants for dozens of grassroots community projects, a network of 10 libraries and an internationally renowned public art program.

Sydney’s first-ever cultural policy will outline a clear direction for these cultural priorities and objectives in the coming years, as well as strategies for achieving them.

It will provide a framework to ensure the City’s assets are being put to best use and enough of the right activities are being offered, and commit to ways the City can help local cultural and creative communities flourish.

To view the Creative City cultural policy discussion paper and submit your ideas:

• Visit – http://sydneyyoursay.com.au/creativecity
• Email – creativecity@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
• On Facebook – facebook.com/cityofsydney
• On Twitter – #creativecitysyd

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Keeley Irvin.
Phone 0448 005 718 or email kirvin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matt Levinson.
Phone 0427 044 768 or email mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Eight new and five upgraded shared paths will provide critical new links across Sydney’s growing bike network.

The work to help less confident cyclists ride safely alongside busy roads was approved at last night’s Council meeting.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the project would help create a safer and better connected bike network for new riders, older people and parents with kids.

“We’ve worked closely with residents and local businesses on these plans – and, as requested by the community, we’re installing an on-road cycleway on Greens Road instead of a shared path,” the Lord Mayor said.

“The number of riders travelling to and from the inner city keeps climbing – especially from the eastern suburbs. This work will provide important links for riders between existing separated cycleways, such as Bourke Street.”

Shared paths are used extensively through Australia, the UK, USA and many other countries – and there are around 50 kilometres of shared paths within the City of Sydney LGA, which have been around since the mid-1990s or earlier.

The current work includes upgraded footpaths, new street furniture, trees, grass, pram ramps and shared path ‘Give Way’ and ‘Ride Slowly’ signs on the ground and at eye level.

“Many of the riders using our bike network come from outside the City of Sydney area, which is why it is so important that there is a consistent, metropolitan-wide approach to signs and speed limits on shared paths,” the Lord Mayor said.

“While there are currently no specific State Government speed limits on shared paths, I have asked City of Sydney staff to install advisory speed limit signs on our shared paths.”

“The City already has 100 new permanent signs reminding riders and pedestrians of their rights and responsibilities in production and due for installation on shared paths in coming weeks.”

“While only the Police can enforce road rules, we work closely with them on education and enforcement operations. We also have a dedicated Share the Path team who are on-site four times a week to provide safety advice and help improve the behaviour of bike riders, especially around pedestrians.”

The shared path upgrades include:

• the western side of Flinders Street, between Taylor Square and Moore Park Road
• the western side of South Dowling Street, between Flinders Street and Fitzroy Street
• the southern side of Moore Park Road between South Dowling Street and Greens Road
• the southern side of Short Street between Flinders Street and Bourke Street
• the northern side of Albion Street, between Flinders Street and Bourke Street
• the southern side of Oxford Street, between Greens Road and Oatley Road
• the eastern side of Macquarie Street, between Cahill Expressway and Shakespeare Place
• both sides of William Street, between Bourke Street and Palmer Street
• St Marys Road, connecting the College Street cycleway with Cathedral Street
• upgrading existing shared paths on Arthur, Parkham, Charles and Fitzroy Streets.

Sydney’s 200-kilometre bike network is made up of different types of bike paths, including 55 kilometres of separated cycleway. So far 10 kilometres of separated cycleways (including three kilometres in the city centre) have been built with almost four kilometres in design or consultation phases.

The City’s Share the Path team will visit each site to ensure bike riders know pedestrians always have the right of way on a shared path and that they must slow down and pass at a safe distance.

For more riding tips and information on Sydney’s bike network, visit sydneycycleways.net or ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Leanne Bridges, phone 0434 320 768 or email lbridges@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin 0477 310 149 jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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As well as the capital works program, the draft 2013/14 budget and 10-year corporate plan also includes a $100 million annual operational surplus. The result highlights the council’s strong financial position and confirms the recent NSW Treasury Corporation assessment of its financial sustainability as strong with a positive outlook, the only council in NSW to achieve this result.

“With careful planning, broad consultation and prudent investment over a number of years we’ve built a healthy bottom line for our global city and villages. Now we want to invest those funds to strengthen Sydney’s international reputation as a leading global city – renowned for its lifestyle, economy, tourism, sustainability, open space and cultural life,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

Major commitments in the City’s Corporate Plan include:

• $400 million for Green Square which includes      new roads, parks and open space, a new town centre, library and      recreational facility and affordable housing;
• $220 million to transform George Street and      connecting laneways as part of the light rail project;
• $180 million for new and upgraded footpaths, roadways and paving;
• $100 million to upgrade the City’s parks and green spaces;
• $55 million for six new childcare centres; and
• $37 million to integrate the Barangaroo  development with Millers Point.

The City will invest $200 million between now and June 2014 on projects that include:

The $12.5 million stormwater harvesting  project at Sydney Park, in conjunction with the Federal Government;

• $7 million for public art and the revitalisation of six city laneways including Abercrombie Lane and Hosking Place in the city centre and Argyle Street in Millers Point;
• More than $17 million for critical new links for our bike network, including stage 2 of the Kent Street cycleway and new cycle connections at Broadway; and
• More than $10 million on projects to improve streetscapes and access for pedestrians, including Darlington Village in Redfern , Foley St in Darlinghurst, and Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross.
• The $10 million refurbishment of Heffron Hall and Albert Sloss Park in East Sydney;

“Putting the City’s strong financial position and long term capital works program at risk by manipulating boundaries as the recent Sansom report recommends, is dangerous and incredibly reckless,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Evidence from other cities shows that the costs of mega amalgamations far outweigh any benefits – Queensland councils say the cost of their forced mergers was $185 million and reports say Auckland spent around $100 million just merging eight councils together.

“Rather than wasting money on boundaries, the City should continue our investment in long term infrastructure, beautiful parks and open space, affordable housing and high quality services for residents, businesses and visitors.”

The City’s draft 2013/14 Budget and Corporate Plan will be on public exhibition until 12 June.

For more information visit cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For media enquiries, contact City of Sydney Media Specialist Matthew Moore on 0431 050 963 or email mmoore@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Shehana Teixeira on 0418 238 373 or email steixeira@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Prince Alfred Park Pool, the City of Sydney’s new all-year round heated outdoor 50-metre pool, opened for swimming today – with free entry for six months.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the entire community could be proud of the beautiful new pool.

“Residents, visitors and workers have been incredibly patient as issues including, unusually high rainfall and soil contamination, delayed the new pool,” the Lord Mayor said.

“To say thanks to the community, this fully-accessible pool will have free entry for six months.

“The pool will be open all-year round, providing fantastic views of the city skyline while swimmers do their laps in well-heated water.

“It’s quite simply and architectural masterpiece.”

The pool upgrade is the first major public building designed by Potts Point-based practice Neeson Murcutt Architects.

Established by Rachel Neeson and her late partner Nicholas Murcutt in 2004, the practice has since exhibited their work at the Venice Biennale (in 2006 and 2008) and received numerous awards from the Australian Institute of Architects.

Nicholas tragically died in 2011 as the project was gearing up for construction and a small tribute to him has been installed within the pool surroundings.

“It is an irreconcilable disappointment that Nick will never see the project complete – although he knew exactly how it would be, how it would delight,” Ms Neeson said.

“Nick’s zestful enthusiasm and dogged dedication will be remembered by all and his memory cast as a ghostly grey shadow on the smallest skylight, visible against the sky from the Chalmers Street entrance. These wonderfully over-scaled elements are pure Nick.”

The pool has a new café with direct access to the park, sky-lit change rooms and tiles that gently reflect water and natural light, tiered seating built into a mound within the park and bright-yellow shade umbrellas that dot the landscape like wildflowers.

The building has the biggest green roof of its kind in Sydney, topped with indigenous flowers and meadow grasses that fold over the café and change rooms.

It uses best practice filtration and monitoring, stormwater harvesting, water-saving fixtures, energy-efficient lighting and heating.

With construction, design and staff costs to finish the project, and liquidated damages due to late completion, the expected final total is $20.5 million – a six per cent variation on the estimated $19.3 million original tender in 2010.

Local artist Sonia van de Haar from art and architecture company, Lymesmith, worked closely with Neeson Murcutt Architects, the City and engineers to design a public art project on the site. Shades of Green features a collection of chimneys dipped in colour to blend into the sky and surrounding park.

The Lord Mayor will officially open the Prince Alfred Park Pool at a celebration event later this year.

The redevelopment of the 7.5-hectare park also includes:

• An underground stormwater reuse system which will supply 95 per cent of the park’s water needs;
• Five new international competition standard tennis courts with the same Plexicushion surface used in Flinders Park, the home of the Australian Open;
• A new exercise circuit with three fitness stations linked by a one-kilometre loop of accessible path for joggers, pedestrians, bikes, prams and wheelchairs;
• Two new basketball courts and an additional half-court with city skyline views;
• New barbecues and family picnic areas with custom-designed tables and seating;
• Hundreds of new trees and plants including rainforest species and succulents including passionfruit vines, climbing frangipanis and citrus trees; and
• Custom-designed energy-efficient lights throughout the park.

• Two children’s playgrounds with seesaws, swings and custom-made play equipment;

For more information, visit cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/explore/facilities/swimming-pools/prince-alfred-park-pool

For media inquiries, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matt Levinson on 0427 044 768 or email mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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• The pool will be open daily from 6am-7pm and 6am-8pm (during daylight saving hours) and 7am-7pm  on public holidays. It only closes on Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• The pool and café will be operated by Belgravia Leisure, who also won the tender in 2011 to manage and operate the Victoria Park Pool at Camperdown and the Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool at The Domain.
• It is the City’s first fully accessible heated outdoor pool, with a ramp into the water ensuring everyone can use it.
• The pool holds 1,850,000 litres of water.
• The pool uses state of the art technology for filtration and monitoring and the best in sustainable practices, including:
  • Stormwater harvesting, with the water used for irrigation and toilet flushing;
  • Water-saving fixtures, such as three-star rated showerheads, waterless urinals, four-star low-flow taps with automatic shut off and pool covers to prevent water loss through evaporation;
  • Natural ventilation and lighting through skylights and high level openings, while white tiles reflect sunlight into internal spaces;
  • Thermally efficient below-ground amenities and offices to regulate internal temperature and reduce the need for air-conditioning;
  • Energy-efficient LED lighting and gas hot water heating, which will be used until the trigeneration plant is installed;
  • Light zoning to allow lights to be turned off or dimmed when daylight is sufficient;
  • An Ultra Fine Filtration system, which saves 80 per cent more pool water compared to a sand filter-style; and
  • The pool facility houses all essential uses including administration offices, kiosk, plant and changes rooms, resulting in the smallest possible footprint.

• Prince Alfred Park Pool has the biggest green roof of its kind in Sydney, topped with 35,917 plants, completely concealing the facility from the street.
• The meadow planting on the roof is made up of six varieties of indigenous wildflowers and grasses, including kidney weed (dichondra repens), short hair plume grass (dichelachne micrantha), lavender grass (eragrostis elongata),      common tussock grass (poa labillardieri), tufted bluebells (wahlenbergia communis) and tall bluebells (wahlenbergia stricta).
• The Prince Alfred Park Pool upgrade is the first major public building designed by Potts Point-based practice Neeson Murcutt Architects.
• Established by Rachel Neeson and her late partner Nicholas Murcutt  in 2004, the practice has since exhibited their work at the Venice Biennale (in 2006 and 2008) and received numerous awards from the Australian Institute of Architects.
• A small tribute to the late Nicholas Murcutt has been installed in the pool’s smallest skylight, visible against the sky from the Chalmers Street entrance.
• Artist Sonia van de Haar from Lymesmith in Castlecrag, in Sydney’s northern suburbs, worked closely with Neeson Murcutt Architects, the City of Sydney and engineers to design a public art project on the site.
• Shades of Green features a collection of ventilation ducts dipped in colour to blend into the sky and surrounding park. They work both as a public art installation and a functional necessity for the boilers that heat the pool.
• Ms van de Haar was inspired by the design of the existing lamp posts, seats and fences when creating the work, which she describes as “something curiously playful but obviously functional”.
• The pool completes the end of the most extensive upgrade to Prince Alfred Park in 50 years, which includes new tennis and basketball courts, play areas, landscaping and space for the City’s first trigeneration plant for self-powering the park and pool.
• Prince Alfred Park was originally bushland crossed by a tributary of Blackwattle Creek.  It was a camping place for local Gadigal people until the 1850s.
• The original vegetation was cleared in the early 19th century to create a Government Paddock, sometimes known as the Cleveland Paddocks, for grazing livestock. This pastoral activity ended when part of the paddock became a public park in 1865 and later the site of The NSW Agricultural Society’s Intercolonial Exhibition, celebrating farming and other primary industries until the early twentieth century.
• Cleveland Paddocks takes its name from the nearby Cleveland House, built in the 1820s and still standing at the corner of Bedford and Buckingham Streets.
• A meadow of seasonal and flowering native grasses was planted in 2012 as part of the upgrade to Prince Alfred Park Pool. As the native grasses mature and thicken, they will provide important habitat for urban wildlife including lizards, small birds and insects.
• The City’s operates four other pools, including the Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool, Cook + Phillip Park Aquatic and Fitness Centre, Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre and Victoria Park Pool.

For more information visit: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/explore/facilities/swimming-pools

Prince Alfred Park Pool

Chalmers Street (corner of Cleveland Street)

Surry Hills NSW 2010

For media enquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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TODAY: Opening of Prince Alfred Park Pool.

WHAT: Lord Mayor Clover Moore will open Prince Alfred Park Pool, joined by school students.

WHEN: TODAY, midday, Monday 13 May 2013.

WHERE: Prince Alfred Park Pool, corner of Cleveland and Chalmers streets, Surry Hills.

WHO: Lord Mayor Clover Moore and students from the nearby Redfern Jarjum College.

Prince Alfred Park Pool is the City of Sydney’s new heated outdoor 50-metre pool. Open all-year round it will provide fantastic views of the city skyline.

This beautiful new facility will have free entry for the first six months to thank the public for their patience during construction.

The pool is the City’s first fully accessible, heated outdoor pool, with a ramp into the water ensuring everyone can use it.

The pool upgrade is the first major public building designed by Potts Point-based practice Neeson Murcutt Architects.

For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matt Levinson on 0427 044 768 or email mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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The City of Sydney has brought forward $55 million to fast track the construction of six new childcare centres.

“Demand for childcare in the inner city continues to grow. More families are moving into our community, with an estimated 45 per cent increase by 2031,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

Next Monday, Council will vote on pre-design feasibility studies for new childcare centres. Potential sites are being tested to ensure they meet planning regulations, community needs, operational capacity and current and future childcare strategies.

The Lord Mayor said plans had already been drawn-up for the first centre, a 60-place facility in Darlinghurst, with almost half its places allocated to babies up to two-years.

“The City is making a serious investment in much needed childcare places for parents living and working in our community,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Through innovative planning controls and the expansion of our own childcare services, we contributed 1,041 extra childcare spaces, a 32 per cent increase, between 2005 and 2012.

“Currently the NSW and Commonwealth governments’ funding to address childcare is through subsidies to parents and to pre-schools, which has left investing in new childcare centres and infrastructure up to local councils and the market.

“We need an integrated approach across all levels of government to effectively respond to the demand in childcare services and invest in new childcare centres.”

A detailed 2005 study into childcare in Sydney found an undersupply of places of children aged zero to five years, high demand for under-twos and waiting times of up to two years.

The City has responded to this need by:

• Providing a purpose-built childcare centre in the Surry Hills Library and Community Centre with space for 26 children;
• Expanding centres in Redfern and Alexandria to increase places for under-twos by 18; and
• Refurbishing the Chippendale centre to provide a combination of work and community-based spaces for 36 children each day.

The City provides about 23 per cent of all childcare places within the local government area, directly or through subsidised leases to not-for-profit groups. The City operates four early childhood education and care centres, which provide 160 places for under school-aged children:

• Alexandria Childcare Centre: 66 spaces;
• Broughton Street Extended Hours Kindergarten: 18 places;
• Hilda Booler Extended Hours Kindergarten: 40 places; and
• Redfern Occasional Childcare: 36 places.

The City leases a further 16 preschool or long day-care centres across Sydney to not-for-profit childcare providers, as well as three out of school hours care centres and two early childhood health centres.

The City subsides the fees that parents pay at all its childcare centres and ensures fees are in line with other low- to medium-priced centres. The City also provides further reduced rates to eligible families.

For more information: cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/community/community-services/children/child-care

For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus, phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Food trucks have hit the spot with Sydneysiders, scoring overwhelming support, generating new business across the city and stimulating spaces at night.

As part of the Food Truck trial independent consultants interviewed more than 400 people and conducted observational studies at food truck locations.

Customers interviewed said the trucks made the city feel safer and more welcoming at night and the most common request was to activate even more of them.

The City of Sydney’s food trucks introduced Sydney to the food sensation taking off around the world with a 12-month trial of quality food in designated streets, parks and plazas.

The research found:

• 98 per cent of people support the food trucks initiative;
• More than one third of customers would have otherwise eaten at home, meaning food trucks are generating new business in the city;
• Peak trading times are between 9pm and midnight when there are fewer available food alternatives;
• 72 per cent of customers said food trucks made an area feel safer, and 92 per cent said they made it more welcoming;
• The trucks have a dedicated following, with 44 per cent of customers coming to the area specifically to eat there;
• 18 per cent of customers eat at a truck at least once a week and some are travelling up to two kilometres to get there, and;
• The City’s food truck app and web site are the most popular sources of information about food trucks

“This research shows people have taken food trucks to heart and they’re now an acclaimed part of our night-time city,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“In less than a year, these small businesses have gone from scratch to become a popular addition to the city’s food scene. They’ve created their own community and brought new life and new business to the city.

“Food trucks were an idea people came up with when we consulted Sydneysiders about what they wanted for their city at night. This research shows the initiative is delivering diverse options and enticing more people to spend time in the City.

“The trucks are not allowed to operate within 50 metres of a comparable food business, so they take food to places that aren’t already well serviced.”

Trucks started rolling out under the City’s trial in May 2012, and all nine trucks were operating by early this year. They have become a feature at festivals and community events as well as servicing dedicated locations around the city.

The City plans to extend the trial until March 2014 to give all of the participating trucks a full year of operation, so the program and feedback from the community can be fully evaluated.

Suzie Matthews, the City’s Manager, Business Precincts, Late Night Economy and Safe City, said the customer research indicated the food trucks were a positive addition to Sydney.

“More than a third of people using food trucks are eating out when they would otherwise have been eating at home and the benefits from that flow on to other business, like shops and small bars,” Ms Matthews said.

“This is about generating new activity in the city, not taking away from existing food businesses. The food truck operators have invested large amounts to get their businesses rolling and they pay fixed costs like wages and rent for a place to store and prepare food just like any other food business.

“There are some areas of the city where food trucks are not a viable option, such as Kings Cross. But where they have been operating they have brought more options to more people, and proved hugely popular.”

The full research report can be viewed here.

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Rohan Sullivan, phone 02 9246 7298 or 0414 617 086, or email rsullivan@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Chinatown residents, workers and visitors are invited to have their say on the City of Sydney’s plans to transform Thomas Street into a pedestrian plaza, complete with new public artworks, trees and street furniture.

The works are part of the Chinatown Public Domain Plan, the City’s long-term vision for making Chinatown an even more enjoyable place to live, work and visit.

The plans include a new public space on Thomas Street between Ultimo Road and Thomas Lane, designed by award-winning contemporary Chinese-Australian artist Lindy Lee and inspired by principles from Taoist and Buddhist philosophy.

Widened footpaths, more street trees, new public artworks, street furniture and lighting will also be installed to improve the look and feel of the area.

“Chinatown is one of Sydney’s jewels. It is a big part of our city’s cultural life and our plans for Thomas Street will make the area even better for the thousands of people in the area each day,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“The new public plaza on Thomas Street will give people a reason to stop, take a moment out of their busy day and enjoy the unique character of the area. I encourage everyone to take a look at our plans for Thomas Street and share their ideas with us.”

The proposed works will be accompanied by traffic changes in the area to give pedestrians priority, including making Thomas Street between Ultimo Road and Thomas Lane a 10km/h shared zone with timed closures.

The Chinatown Public Domain Plan was launched in 2010 following an extensive consultation process with the local community. It proposes a suite of improvements to support the rich local program of events, cultural experiences and public life on Chinatown’s streets.

The first stage of works, completed in early 2012, included a $5 million makeover of three laneways in the heart of Haymarket – Little Hay Street, Factory Street and Kimber Lane.

The facelift included widened footpaths, custom-made street furniture and new trees, lighting and paving, and local Chinese-Aboriginal artist Jason Wing’s stunning artwork In Between Two Worlds in Kimber Lane.

The first stage of works also transformed a disused pagoda at the northern end of Dixon Street Mall into a new information kiosk, which glows bright red at night and serves hundreds of visitors each day.

The kiosk, which features energy-efficient lighting, access for people living with mobility and hearing impairments, and a striking Chinese-inspired artwork, was awarded a prestigious prize in last year’s Australian Institute of Architects NSW awards.

The City’s plans for Thomas Street are on public exhibition until 3 June.
For more information and to have your say, visit: sydneyyoursay.com.au

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Keeley Irvin.
Phone 0448 005 718 or email kirvin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin.
Phone 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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New restaurants and cafés are leading the growth of after-dark businesses in Sydney, according to new research that confirms the city as Australia’s dining capital and the largest contributor to a national night-time economy worth $92 billion a year.

The first city comparison of Australia’s night-time economy shows the City of Sydney had almost 4,400 businesses in the core food, drink and entertainment sectors in 2011, employing nearly 17,000 people and generating $2.76 billion in sales revenue.

All three sectors expanded in 2009-11, despite tough economic times, with food leading the charge with 12 per cent growth in the number of firms, says the report, prepared for the National Local Government Drug and Alcohol Advisory Committee.

The research comes after the City’s launch in February of its blueprint to develop Sydney’s night-time economy by 2030, “OPEN Sydney: Future directions for Sydney at night.”

“Open Sydney is the culmination of almost two years of ground-breaking work by the City, and this research reinforces just how important and timely it is,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“What happens in our city after dark is vital to the strength of the broader economy of the city, the state and the country, as well as having an impact on residents, visitors and tourists.”

“Sydneysiders told us they want a safe, thriving city that is buzzing with activity, easy to get around and offers something for everybody. Open Sydney reflects that and gives us a blueprint to get there.”

“We’ve started delivering on many of the ideas people gave us – such as our food trucks trial, our live music taskforce, and the small bar scene which is going from strength to strength.”

“The next step we’d like to see is an ongoing coordinated approach that includes transport and policing, liquor licensing and tourism, as well as the important services the City provides.”

Ideas and projects the City has already initiated from the OPEN Sydney process include:

• Sydney Food Trucks Trial: A fleet of nine trucks has added a new layer to Sydney’s dining scene, generated more than 30,000 downloads of the City’s food truck locator app, and won two prestigious awards for innovation;
• Kings Cross Plan of Management: The City upgraded CCTV security cameras in Kings Cross, introduced a blanket Alcohol Free Zone, improved taxi-rank management and signage, established a compliance hot team, opened a new information kiosk, and installed more rubbish bins and portable toilets, as part of joint actions with the NSW Government;
• Live music taskforce: Australia’s leading live music policy experts have begun meeting to advise the City about how to revitalise Sydney’s live music and live performance scene;
• Cultural Policy: We’re developing a cultural policy that will outline a vision for the cultural life of Sydney create a framework for making decisions about the city’s cultural and creative activities; and
• Cutting red tape: The City has hosted eight how-to workshops that covered opening a small business, a small bar, organising a gig and throwing a pop-up event, with nine planned for 2013.

The City is calling for a high-level taskforce to ensure Sydney’s night-time economy continues to grow strongly and builds on its reputation as Australia’s leading late night city.

The taskforce would draw on the expertise of retailers and businesspeople, cultural institutions, entrepreneurs and tourism experts to drive a coordinated approach towards a healthy, safe and varied entertainment precinct.

The Lord Mayor has written to the NSW Premier calling for the taskforce to include representatives from Destination NSW, Transport for NSW, NSW Police, the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing, NSW Trade and Investment, the Department of Justice and Attorney General and local government.

According to the Australian Night Time Economy report:

• More than 10 per cent of Sydney firms are part of the night-time economy, more than any other city;
• Between 2009-11, Sydney added 336 night-time food businesses for a total of 3,066, entertainment businesses grew by 38 to 874 and drink businesses – helped by small bars – grew by 24 to 441; and
• Tight economic circumstances in 2009-11 were reflected in a slight dip in turnover for Sydney’s night-time businesses from $2.83 billion to $2.76 billion and an easing of jobs despite there being more operators.

“The research shows times are tough for many businesses, and governments of all levels must do what they can to support them,” the Lord Mayor said.

“OPEN Sydney does this with more than 250 recommended actions to cut red tape, improve transport and create a safe, welcoming and lively city for all to enjoy.

“We want the night-time economy to continue to grow and create jobs. To do this we need better-integrated and longer-running transport, more diversity of options for all age groups at night, good quality food and retail choices, creative and beautiful lighting, more public toilets and measures to address the drinking culture. We need a coordinated approach involving all stakeholders.”

The full “Australian Night time Economy: a first analysis” report can be found here.

The full “OPEN Sydney: Future directions for Sydney at night” report can be found here.

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Rohan Sullivan, phone 02 9246 7298 or 0414 617 086, or email rsullivan@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matt Levinson 0427 044 768 or mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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A pop-up foodies’ paradise featuring Mudgee’s finest producers will be front and centre in Pirrama Park this weekend to celebrate the third year of the Pyrmont Festival of Wine, Food and Art.

Market stalls will line the banks of the majestic harbourside park, with 30 Mudgee wineries and gourmet food producers offering tastings of their finest drops, and most succulent fare, accompanied by local art, live music and entertainment for all the family.

“This festival is a wonderful feature on the City of Sydney’s annual event calendar, bringing produce from Mudgee in the Central West of NSW to one of our premier dining precincts,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“This weekend’s showcase event in Pirrama Park mixes the very best of both Pyrmont and Mudgee, with wine tasting, delicious gourmet food and local art and entertainment by the water’s edge.”

Entry to the Pirrama Park celebration is free and includes the annual Pyrmont Art Prize exhibition. This year the theme is “small is beautiful”. More than 300 artworks by local artists on tiny canvases will be on sale.

There will be an exhibition of artworks by children from six local primary schools, and a group of artists from the Mudgee region will also create a sculpture garden.

This year, more than 10,000 visitors are expected to attend the 10-day festival from 17-26 May, including the Pirrama Park event. Other events include wine-matched breakfasts and dinners, long lunches, cheese and wine tastings and art exhibitions supported by participating local businesses.

Mike O’Malley, Pyrmont Festival Event Director for the Mudgee Wine Grape Growers Association, said the Mudgee producers enjoyed interacting with the local community during the festival and introducing them to their wares.

“The festival gives us a chance to showcase the best of the Mudgee region in many ways,” Mr O’Malley said.

“The public response has been really enthusiastic, we’re seeing bigger crowds at the events each year. We’re also starting to see visitors from Pyrmont visiting Mudgee as a result of meeting us in their own backyard, and that’s very satisfying for us.”

The City’s Try2Wheels will also be there in full swing, with free valet bike parking, bike mechanics, route-planning advice and a multitude of bikes including new e-bikes to try.

The festival is hosted by the Pyrmont Ultimo Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Mudgee Wine Grape Growers Association, and supported by the City with a $20,000 sponsorship.

Pyrmont Festival of Wine, Food and Art – Pirrama Park celebration

DATE: Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May, 2013

TIME: 11am-5pm

WHERE: Pirrama Park – Pirrama Road, Pyrmont

COST: Free entry

Free bike parking will be available on site.

Pyrmont Festival of Wine, Food and Art Highlights:

Friday 17 May 7am-9am

Breakfast on Pyrmont Bay at Doltone House

Come and celebrate the opening of the Pyrmont Festival of Wine, Food and Art with a breakfast at Doltone House Darling Island Wharf, Pyrmont. Guests will be treated to a glass of Huntington Estate sparkling wine from the Mudgee wine-growing region, accompanied by a sumptuous Italian breakfast with executive chef James Kidman. Cost is $45 per person, with bookings essential at info@doltonehouse.com.au or on 02 8571 0622.

Sunday 19 and 26 May 3pm-6pm

Live Music at Yots Café at the Australian National Maritime Museum

Enjoy a menu of High Valley wine and Mudgee-produced cheese for an afternoon of relaxation to wind down the weekend, complete with free live music on the marina. No booking required.

Wednesday 22 May

Mudgee Wine dinner at NSW TAFE’s The Apprentice

Experience the future of fine dining in Sydney as Ultimo college’s ‘rising stars’ design, prepare and serve a five-star meal, with wine matching by Short Sheep Wines and Elliott Rocke Wines. Cost is $60 per person, with bookings essential on 02 9217 5527.

For the full program, visit: pyrmontfestival.com.au

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus.

Phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matt Levinson 0427 044 768 or mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

This event is presented by Pyrmont Ultimo Chamber of Commerce and proudly supported by the City of Sydney, IGA ‘How the Locals Like it’, Mudgee Region Tourism Inc. , Central NSW Tourism, Mid-Western Council, City News, City Hub, Bondi View, Inner West Independent, Mudgee Wine Grape Growers Association and The Star.

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The City of Sydney’s cleansing trucks are being transformed into literary treasures this month, bringing poetry to life in unexpected locations thanks to a project curated by the 2013 Sydney Writers’ Festival.

Eleven trucks decorated with verses by famous poets, including Irishman W.B. Yeats and Australian activist Judith Wright, will hit the streets today.

Each truck features two giant poems, measuring more than two metres wide and one metre high, with a total of 19 poems appearing in the series.

“This month, we’re celebrating one of Sydney’s most iconic cultural events, the Sydney Writers’ Festival, by displaying much-loved poetry in a distinctly different way,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“From Shakespeare and Wordsworth to ancient Greek epics and celebrated Australian writers, poetry has delighted and inspired people for thousands of years.

“I encourage Sydneysiders to look out for the poems as they roam the city streets this month – they might even be inspired to find their own favourite sonnet.”

Jemma Birrell, the artistic director of the 2013 Sydney Writers’ Festival, said: “In creating this project with the City of Sydney, we want to inspire people with unexpected literary experiences in everyday situations and showcase poems that make people think and consider the world or themselves differently.”

The poems featured on the trucks have been selected by Luke Davies, the 2012 Prime Minister’s Literary Award-winning poet and 2013 Sydney Writers’ Festival guest.

The poems include W. B. Yeats’ “Vacillation”, Judith Wright’s “Woman to Child”, Peter Porter’s “The Unicorn in Love” and Kay Ryan’s “Fool’s Errands”.

Mr Davies said he chose a series of poems “that stop one in one’s tracks, and are utterly unlike the advertising copy that litters the verbal landscape.

“If one single non-festival-going, non-poetry-reading citizen out there is led to look up one of these poems, I will feel wildly successful in my task as curator.”

The Sydney Writers’ Festival is one of the largest writers’ festivals in the world, attracting more than 80,000 attendances and featuring over 400 writers and authors each year.

The City has been a major sponsor of the event since its launch in the late 1990s, and in 2012 announced a significant funding boost for the 2013 and 2014 festivals, worth $330,000 each year.

This year’s program, which focuses on the importance of storytelling in contemporary life, features more than 500 guests at over 50 venues – including two of the City’s most stunning venues, Sydney Town Hall and the City Recital Hall in Angel Place.

The 2013 Sydney Writers’ Festival runs from 20-26 May. For more information, visit: swf.org.au

Poets and their selected works featured on the trucks are:

• Rainer Maria Rilke (from “Archaic Torso of Apollo”) (tr: Stephen Mitchell)
• Gig Ryan (from “When I Consider”)
• Peter Porter (from “The Unicorn in Love”)
• Jessy Randall (“Why I had Children”)
• Martin Harrison (from “Walking Back from the Dam”)
• David Campbell (“Mothers and Daughters”)
• John Berryman (from “Eleven Addresses to the Lord”)
• W. B. Yeats (from “Vacillation”)
• Kevin Hart (from “Dark Bird”)
• Judith Wright (from “Sonnet”)
• Kay Ryan (“Fool’s Errands”)
• John Berryman (from “Op. posth. no. 13”)
• Laurie Duggan (from “Letter to John Forbes”)
• joanne burns (“revisionism”)
• John Berryman (from “Overseas Prayer”)
• Marilyn Hacker (“Villanelle for D.G.B.”)
• L. K. Holt (from “From Inside the MRI Scanner”)
• Judith Wright (from “Woman to Child”)
• S. K. Kelen (from “Reality Check”)

Media contacts

City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser – Keeley Irvin.
Phone 0448 005 718 or email kirvin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

Lord Mayor Clover Moore – Jonathon Larkin.
Phone 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

Sydney Writers’ Festival Publicist – Benython Oldfield.
Phone 0410 355 790 or email publicist@swf.org.au

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The City of Sydney and Lord Mayor Clover Moore congratulates Australia’s oldest charity – The Benevolent Society – on providing two centuries of support to those in need.

The Benevolent Society was established on 8 May 1813 to fight for the rights of, and give voice to, everyday Australians in need. The Society’s first patron was Governor Lachlan Macquarie, and the City of Sydney has lent its ongoing support for the last 150 years.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the society is celebrating its 200th birthday in the knowledge that its services are as important today as they’ve ever been.

“I congratulate The Benevolent Society on 200 years of care and leadership in building strong and inclusive communities, and am delighted the City is supporting them further with venues for their birthday celebrations,” the Lord Mayor said.

“The Benevolent Society has been an anchor for people in times of hardship and has played a part in shaping Australia as we know it fighting for the abolition of child labour, free maternity care, legal aid and government welfare payments. It’s hard to imagine modern Sydney without the society’s involvement.”

The Benevolent Society’s CEO, Anne Hollonds, said, “Our story is really Sydney’s story. Our archives are full of photographs, stories and documents that paint a picture of the changing face of Sydney – and the changing social issues Australians have faced – over the past 200 years.

“This milestone is not just a chance to look back, it’s a reminder to take stock and look at the future we want 200 years from today. Our experience tells us we should be investing much earlier to prevent social problems in the future.

“As a charity, we’ve relied on the support and goodwill of the community to achieve this remarkable milestone, and we’d like to thank the City of Sydney and Australians across the nation for their ongoing generosity and support.”

A free public event at Martin Place on 8 May will showcase the society’s Taste Mobile Kitchen – a 6.5-tonne shipping container used to break down cultural barriers and increase community cohesion in south west Sydney. As a social enterprise, the income from Taste Mobile Kitchen goes towards its community activities.

My Kitchen Rules celebrity chefs will be using the mobile kitchen for cooking demonstrations from 7am to 9am at Martin Place.

For more information, contact City of Sydney Media Adviser Jo Wathen on 0467 810 160 or email jwathen@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Residents are invited to put on their walking boots and join City of Sydney staff on a walking tour to discuss ambitious new plans to link the Johnstons Creek parklands with green spaces from Glebe to Annandale.

When completed, the parklands will form part of Sydney’s longest green connected open space, with walkways, recreation areas, wetlands and woodlands that residents and visitors can enjoy all year round.

The walking tours take place this Saturday (4 May) and are part of a drop-in day where the draft master plan for Johnstons Creek will be presented.

Marquees will be set up in two locations: Bicentennial Park near Federal Road in Glebe, and at the playground in Federal Park near Chapman Road in Annandale.

There will also be a barbeque and children’s activities, including face painting.

The City’s project team will be on hand to answer any questions about the parklands plans, and will give guided tours around Johnstons Creek at 11am and 1pm. Places  for each site tour are limited.

“Our growing population in the inner city needs significant green open spaces. These spaces provide opportunities for exercise and activity – somewhere to walk the dogs and a haven to take some peaceful time out,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“The City has developed the draft Johnstons Creek Master Plan to help guide our great green spaces along for all the community. The plan aims to add another five hectares to local green open space which already includes the Glebe Foreshore, Bicentennial Park, Jubilee Park and Federal Park.

“When finalised, the master plan will have helped guide the creation of an enormous 32-hectare connected parkland for thousands of people to enjoy every day. It will also have protected natural habitats for native species now and into the future.”

The five-hectare portion of land called Johnstons Creek lies along the Glebe and Annandale border, stretching through the old Rozelle tram depot and Harold Park Paceway.

The plans will connect it with the Glebe Foreshore, Bicentennial Park, Jubilee Park and Federal Park, to create a total of 32 hectares of parklands.

These connected parklands will include boardwalks, elevated walkways and viewing platforms through wetlands, woodland habitats and tree-lined avenues.

The City has consulted extensively with the local community, and final plans will be considered by Council later in the year.

Key features include:

• Removal of most of the buildings along The Crescent and relocation of car parking to the edge of the parkland to open up more areas for recreation;
• Adaptive re-use of one existing building on The Crescent for a range of flexible recreation and community uses such as childcare, community meetings and activities, and public amenities;
• New fresh water wetlands, expanded salt marsh and areas of woodlands, shrublands and grassland habitats for local wildlife;
• Improved water quality in the parklands with rain gardens and natural landscape features;
• Jubilee Oval and Federal Park playing area upgrades and a new area for junior sports in The Crescent lands area; and
• A range of paths, boardwalks and viewing platforms connecting all parts of the parklands.

The draft Johnstons Creek Master Plan will be on exhibition at the Annandale Neighbourhood Centre, 79 Johnston St, and the Glebe Neighbourhood Service Centre, 186 Glebe Point Road, from 19 April until 17 May.

For more information and to have your say, visit sydneyyoursay.com.au/johnstons-creek-parklands.

For more information, contact City of Sydney Media Adviser Jo Wathen on 0467 810 160 or jwathen@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Senior Communications Officer Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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A 10 day celebration of food and wine will showcase the best that Sydney and the Mudgee region have to offer at the Pyrmont Festival of Wine, Food and Art this month.

Thirty of Mudgee’s best winemakers and gourmet food producers will collaborate with some of Sydney’s best chefs on exclusive dining experiences from 17 to 26 May. Choices will include wine and cheese tasting with live music at the Australian Maritime Museum, or partaking of a skilfully created feast by one of Sydney’s rising culinary stars.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the festival was a wonderful feature of Sydney’s event calendar, giving everyone the opportunity to attend intimate wine-matched dinners, longish lunches, breakfasts and tastings of some of Mudgee’s celebrated regional produce.

“The festival brings together some of the things that Sydney does best: location, wine, food and art,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Sharing delicious food, sampling some of the best wine from regional NSW and enjoying local entertainers is a wonderful way for Sydneysiders and visitors alike to experience the best the country has to offer without leaving the city.”

Over 10,000 visitors are expected to attend the festival, from the weekend-long outdoor Wine, Food and Art Fair at Pirrama Park, which includes the 7th annual Pyrmont Art Prize, and over 20 other exciting foodie events held by local businesses.

Now in its third year, the festival continues to help build the Pyrmont area as one of Sydney’s premier dining precincts and has established itself as one of the city’s best food and wine events.

For the first time, well-known Ultimo-Pyrmont cultural institutions will join in the celebrations with events at the National Maritime Museum, the Powerhouse and Sydney Heritage Fleet.

The annual event is hosted by the Pyrmont Ultimo Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Mudgee Wine and Grape Growers Association and Mudgee Region Tourism, and is supported by the City with a $20,000 cash sponsorship.

The Pyrmont Ultimo Chamber of Commerce received a village business partnership grant from the City – a program designed to drive development and revitalisation of city precincts – which has only added to its appeal as one of Sydney’s most vibrant villages.

Pyrmont Festival of Wine, Food and Art Highlights:

Friday 17 May 7am-9am

Breakfast on Pyrmont Bay at Doltone House

Come and celebrate the opening of the Pyrmont Festival of Wine, Food and Art with a breakfast at Doltone House Darling Island Wharf, Pyrmont. Guests will be treated to a glass of Huntington Estate sparkling wine from the Mudgee wine region, accompanied by a sumptuous Italian breakfast with executive chef James Kidman. Cost is $45 per person, with bookings essential at info@doltonehouse.com.au or on 02 8571 0622.

Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May 11am-5pm

Wine, Food and Art in Pirrama Park

Visit the festival’s unmissable major event, where you can wander the stalls of Mudgee’s 30 top producers to taste unique gourmet fare and over 120 of the best wines produced in the heart of NSW. Bring a picnic blanket and the whole family to enjoy Pyrmont’s best artists and entertainers, with live music and the annual Pyrmont Art Prize on show. Entry to the event is free.

Sunday 19 and 26 May 3pm-6pm

Live Music at Yots Café at the Australian National Maritime Museum

Enjoy a menu of High Valley’s Mudgee wine and cheese for an afternoon of relaxation to wind down the weekend, complete with free live music on the marina. No booking required.

Wednesday 22 May

Mudgee Wine dinner at NSW TAFE’s The Apprentice

Experience the future of fine dining in Sydney as Ultimo college’s ‘rising stars’ design, prepare and serve a five-star meal, with wine matching by Short Sheep Wines and Elliott Rocke Wines. Cost is $60 per person, with bookings essential on 02 9217 5527.

For the full program, visit pyrmontfestival.com.au

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus.

Phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matt Levinson 0427 044 768 or mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

This event is presented by Pyrmont Ultimo Chamber of Commerce and proudly supported by the City of Sydney, IGA ‘How the Locals Like it’, Mudgee Region Tourism Inc., Central NSW Tourism, Mid-Western Council, City News, City Hub, Bondi View, Inner West Independent, Mudgee Wine Grape Growers Association and The Star.

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People living in some of Sydney’s oldest homes can learn how to restore them without jeopardising their heritage status at two City of Sydney workshops during the National Trust Heritage Festival.

Heritage 101 at Customs House on Thursday 16 May will go through the processes for undertaking heritage restoration and tips on making sure everything runs smoothly.

The workshop will be introduced by Lord Mayor Clover Moore, with MC Adam Ford, host of ABCTV’s Who’s Been Sleeping in My House?. Speakers include architects and heritage building specialists Peter Phillips, Otto Cserhalmi and Gary Waller.

“Heritage buildings are an important part of Sydney’s character,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“It’s important we maintain heritage buildings for the generations to come, by using best practice techniques for restoration or renovation work in heritage conservation zones.”

Historian Shirley Fitzgerald is hosting a sold out workshop on Researching Your House’s History at Glebe Library on Saturday 11 May. Devised by the City’s History Unit, the two-hour workshop will give residents tips on how to research the history of their homes, how it has changed over time and who lived there previously.

Dr Fitzgerald will show how owners and occupiers can piece together small, and sometimes fascinating, histories using records such as the Sands Sydney Directory (1859-1932), rates assessments and land titles.

The History Unit is building an online guide for owners and residents to research the history of their buildings. History detectives can already learn more about their history of their home using the City of Sydney Archives online tools, such as Archives Investigator, Archive Pix and the Historical Atlas of Sydney.

The City also encourages not-for-profit organisations to restore heritage items through the Heritage Grant program. Last year St Stephen’s Uniting Church on Macquarie Street received a $10,000 Heritage Grant to maintain timber and metal doors as well as conserve leadlight windows and wall-mounted lanterns.

Some of Sydney’s oldest buildings, including Sydney Town Hall on George Street and the 132-year-old Glebe Town Hall, which reopened in March, are being carefully restored by the City.

For more information, visit www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/learn/history/archives

Heritage 101

Thursday 16 May, 6pm-8.30pm

Barnet Long Room, Customs House, 31 Alfred Street, Circular Quay

Entry is free, but bookings are essential on 02 9265 9333 or at whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/events/18021-heritage-101-workshop

Researching Your House’s History

Saturday 11 May, 10.30am-12.30pm

Glebe Library, 186 Glebe Point Road, Glebe

Entry is free, but bookings are essential on 02 9298 3060 or at whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/events/18021-heritage-101-workshop

For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus, phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Galleries, artist studios and start-up businesses that opened on Oxford Street last year as part of the City’s creative spaces program have won major national awards and brought tens of thousands of new visitors to the area.

Eighteen cultural and creative enterprises – specialising in everything from jewellery-making and textiles to mobile app development and comedy writing – have occupied a series of Council-owned retail shop fronts and office spaces along the Darlinghurst strip at affordable rates since February 2012.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the creative spaces program had been an outstanding success, with significant achievements across the board.

“Platform72 sold more than $230,000 worth of artworks to buyers on five continents, while members of the Sydney Writers’ Room produced a satirical TV show that has now been picked up by the ABC,” the Lord Mayor said.

“As a result of these and a string of other successes, we have offered all tenants in the program an extension on their lease, allowing them to continue trading in the spaces until December 2014.

“These affordable spaces have given creative entrepreneurs room to try out their ideas and take creative risks, and being in such close proximity to each other has fostered a lot of collaboration.

“Oxford Street has long been one of Sydney’s most iconic and colourful precincts, so it’s only fitting that it’s now home to a new wave of emerging creative enterprises.”

The creative spaces program is part of the City’s long-term plan to revitalise Oxford Street, redefining the area as a hub for arts, culture and creative enterprise. Highlights from the first 12 months include:

• Platform72 – this gallery and retail space has represented 230 artists (at least half from Sydney) and sold $230,000 worth of artworks, with 100 per cent of sales being returned to the artists. They have also sold local artworks to buyers in the United States, Europe, Asia and South Africa, and been featured in the window of the flagship Sydney store of global luxury retailer Hermès.
• EngineRoom by Fishburners – this digital co-working community has provided office space for more than 30 start-up businesses, with members winning four major prizes at the 2012 Australian Mobile Awards, securing a contract to provide online ticketing for Openair Cinemas across Australia, and building an online travel insurance program for Woolworths.
• He Made She Made – this gallery and workshop space has welcomed more than 12,000 people to nine successful exhibitions, featuring more than 200 artists and designers. The founders have also been invited to participate in Design Dubai 2014, an exclusive annual fair showcasing limited edition furniture and design objects from across Asia and the Middle East.
• Sydney Writers’ Room – this collective housed a team of comedy writers and performers producing The Roast, a two-minute political satire screened on the ABC. This year, the program has been expanded to a 10-minute show for a 40-week season. As a result, the team has outgrown the Oxford Street space and moved to a production facility in Waterloo, making way for a new group of young creatives and journalists working across news and current affairs projects.
• The Fortynine Studio – this design studio has created a lighting installation for the Light in Winter festival at Federation Square in Melbourne, and collaborated with Laos-based weaving workshop Eastern Weft to produce textile designs for small-scale production.
• A.R.P. Artists Residency Program – this studio space hosted five resident artists across the second half of 2012, including Seattle-based sculptor Arun Sharma, whose Oxford Street work has been selected for inclusion at Sculpture by the Sea 2013 in Aarhus, Denmark.
• SCALE Architecture – this local architectural practice was shortlisted for their proposed design for the new National Museum of Afghanistan.

“We’re very grateful to the City of Sydney for giving us this opportunity to showcase the amazing creative talent of so many artists and designers from the local area and beyond,” Juliet Rosser, founder and director of Platform72, said.

“As a result of the creative spaces program, we’ve been able to forge long-term relationships with these artists and help them build sustainable careers – alongside building our own sustainable business model at Platform72.

“We now have big plans for 2013 and beyond, including a series of curated exhibitions by our leading artists, an interactive street game for the International Symposium on Electronic Art in June, and the launch of our online store.”

Following the success of the Oxford Street program, the City is exploring other properties which could become home to emerging cultural and creative enterprises, including a large office and six artist live/work spaces in two buildings on William Street.

A short-term creative spaces register, encouraging pop-up projects in empty Council-owned buildings, has also been created. The first project from the register – an artist studio, gallery and retail space run by Dulwich Hill collective Westsyde Connection – is set to open at 58 Oxford Street, the former home of the Oxford Street Design Store, this week.

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Keeley Irvin.
Phone 0448 005 718 or email kirvin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matt Levinson.
Phone 0427 044 768 or email mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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An historic Taylor Square building could soon house a new bike hub to serve Sydney’s booming bike culture, and a museum celebrating the area’s heritage.

Expressions of interest are being sought from a broad range of tenants to revive the former T2 nightclub building – which is due for a much-needed makeover – with a new café, bike-related businesses, community workshops and a museum.

“Bike hubs exist around the world and we want to create a place for people riding to and from work with places to park their bike and grab a coffee. It will also help tourists and families wanting to hire a bike or people looking for cycle safety lessons,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“Taylor Square south is busy with tourists, workers, local residents and shoppers with more than 1,200 people riding past on an average weekday.”

Located at 1-5 Flinders Street, the three-level building was first home to the Commonwealth Bank in 1915.

Hassell Architects will design the refurbishment of the heritage building, to include potential new openings onto Taylor Square and Patterson Lane. The rooftop might also be used – making the most of stunning City views.

The building sits on a major intersection for bike riders connecting Woolloomooloo, Waterloo, Paddington and the inner city.

“Our latest independent counts show an 89 per cent jump in the number of bike trips made over the past two-and-a-half years,” the Lord Mayor said.

“We’re building the infrastructure and support for the growing number of bike riders who are helping reduce the number of cars on our busy roads and easing pressure on public transport.”

The EOI will close at 5pm on Friday 10 May. Community consultation on the refurbishment of the design will be arranged once concept designs are created by the architects.

To find out more or register your register your interest in the bike hub, email the City’s leasing agent, Mark Ranucci, at mark@pharos.com.au

For more information about riding in Sydney, visit sydneycycleways.net or ‘like’ us on Facebook.

For interviews with the Lord Mayor, please contact Shehana Teixeira on 0418 238 373 or steixeira@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Leanne Bridges, phone 0434 320 768 or email lbridges@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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The City of Sydney’s support for grassroots culture has helped a fledgling Pyrmont theatre group grow into a star act.

The Pyrmont Players, which began in January, has grown to more than 20 members and is on the lookout for more actors, set designers, costume makers and stage managers to join their troupe.

The community theatre group was born after Roberta Mears put up posters around her local area seeking like-minded individuals to join a new drama club.

Now the players tread the boards each Thursday night at the Pyrmont Community Centre and are preparing to put on a small end-of-year production of 1920s comedy A Jolly Sinister Jape, by Elliot Strange.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the Pyrmont Players was a great example of residents coming together to use the City’s community centres at night.

“It’s terrific to see locals with a love of theatre get together in hall at our Pyrmont Community Centre,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Our centres and libraries belong to the local community, so it’s great to see the hall helping start new creative projects for the community.

“We’re working hard to encourage more creative and cultural activities in the city, especially after dark, so this is a very promising development.”

The City is currently asking Sydneysiders to share their ideas on ways to encourage more cultural activities, like the Pyrmont Players, to feed into our first-ever cultural policy. Visit sydneyyoursay.com.au to submit your ideas.

Long-term Pyrmont resident Roberta Mears is a member of the Friends of Pyrmont Community Centre and saw the potential to set up a fun, friendly, non-threatening theatre club for local residents.

“I put up a couple of fliers around Pyrmont and they got a lot of interest, so on our first night we had 23 people attend,” Ms Mears said.

“We’re attracting people of all ages, and it’s a wonderful way to a have a little bit of fun and connect with the community.”

The weekly group has so far undertaken workshops with character actor John Samaha, improvisation and drama exercises, as well as character development practice.

Pyrmont resident Jane Sutherland attended the first meet-up and has stuck with the Pyrmont Players because she enjoys new challenges and meeting new people.

“I’ve met people who live in Pyrmont that I wouldn’t normally have met and it’s good to meet people who are your neighbours and have a common goal,” Ms Sutherland said.

The Pyrmont Players are seeking more potential actors, lighting technicians, set designers, costume makers and theatre lovers to join their troupe. Membership is free. Contact Ms Mears on 0405 730 073 for more details.

The Pyrmont Community Centre hosts a range of community events including seniors groups, community dinners, book clubs, chess matches and card-playing competitions.

The City operates six community centres that offer a range of services and programs tailored to each area’s needs and open to residents, workers and visitors to Sydney. The City also has 26 community venues, which members of the community can hire to hold their own events, meetings and activities.

Pyrmont Community Centre

Corner of John and Mount streets, Pyrmont. Tel: 02 9298 3134.

Juanita Nielsen Community Centre

Corner of Nicholson and Dowling streets, Woolloomooloo. Tel: 02 8374 6323.

King George V Recreation Centre

3 Cumberland Street, The Rocks. Tel: 02 9244 3600.

Redfern Community Centre

29-53 Hugo Street, Redfern. Tel: 02 9288 5713.

Surry Hills Community Centre

405 Crown Street, Surry Hills. Tel: 02 9356 4977.

Ultimo Community Centre

40 William Henry Street, Ultimo. Tel: 02 9298 3111.

For more information, visit cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/community/community-services/

For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jodie Minus, phone 0467 803 815 or email jminus@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matt Levinson on 0427 803 815 or email mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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A blow-up sofa will be moved between three locations giving pedestrians a chance to sit in comfort while they review plans and put their views on George Street, where light rail will replace buses and cars and make the street a haven for pedestrians.

Because George Street is currently so noisy and congested, the sofa will be placed nearby at lunchtimes – in Pitt Street Mall on Tuesday, in Sesquicentenary Square in Barrack Street on Wednesday, and in the Queen Victoria Building forecourt on Tuesday 30 April.

The City is contributing $220 million to the NSW Government’s light rail project to make George Street one of the world’s great plazas, with 25,000 square metres of roadway turned into a huge, tree-lined pedestrian boulevard.

Plans and videos of the upgrade are currently on display at Customs House at Circular Quay as part of a public an exhibition, Next stop: 21st Century George Street, giving people the chance to offer feedback on key design issues before they are finalised later this year.

Plans for the transformation of George Street will also be available at the pop-up consultation sessions, with survey teams seeking views on everything from bubblers, to lighting, street furniture and wire-free pedestrian space.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore urged people to attend the exhibition to help improve the George Street plans.

“At the moment, George Street is choked by day and drab at night. This exhibition shows we can make it a wonderful wide boulevard where people will want to walk, shop, dine and meet up with friends,” she said.

“To get it right demands good design. That’s why we are asking people who live, work and visit the city to come to the exhibition, to see the designs and tell us how we can make them the best they can be.”

For more information and to provide feedback, visit: sydneyyoursay.com.au/georgestreet

For media enquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Media Specialist Matthew Moore phone 0431 050 963 or email mmoore@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matt Levinson on 0427 044 768 or email mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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Work has begun on a street upgrade and separated cycleway along George Street, Redfern. It is the first of a series of new routes and upgrades to cycle networks across the City of Sydney.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the George Street link will connect the booming southern areas, four kilometres from the city, with Central Station as well as improving transport options in Redfern and Waterloo.

“This link and street upgrade provides an important connection between inner Sydney and Australia’s biggest urban redevelopment, Green Square, which will be home to 40,000 new residents by 2030.

“We’ve worked closely with residents and local businesses along George Street to ensure the street upgrade benefits everyone.

“By creating a safe bike network across Sydney, we’re building infrastructure that makes it easier and safer for people to ride. This helps reduce pollution and cut traffic on our streets.”

Sydney’s growing bike network includes separated cycleways, shared paths and mixed zones. Latest bike counts show an 89 per cent jump in the number of people riding bikes over the past two-and-a-half years.

Those numbers are expected to keep climbing as more people are connected to the network. The City’s target is for 10 per cent of all city trips to be made by bike by 2016.

“One of the most common concerns about bike riding is safety. Our separated bike lanes help people who are nervousness about riding in traffic,” the Lord Mayor said.

The George Street link is one of several new paths and upgrades designed to strengthen Sydney’s growing bike network. Between the inner city and the Eastern Suburbs, current shared paths will soon be upgraded and new ones created.

The upgrade to this section of George Street is expected to take around 24 weeks to complete.

The George Street, Redfern and Broadway projects have the approval of the Roads and Maritime Service (RMS) but are not in the area control new Central Sydney Traffic Transport Committee. The City has been working closely with the NSW Government and looks forward to expanding Sydney’s growing bike network even further once the committee gives the green light.

More details on the George Street Redfern project are online here

For more riding tips and information on Sydney’s bike network, visit sydneycycleways.net or ‘like’ us on Facebook.

For more information, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Leanne Bridges, phone 0434 320 768 or email lbridges@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matt Levinson on 0427 044 768 or mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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The City of Sydney is seeking feedback on a draft master plan for Johnstons Creek parklands in Glebe which includes boardwalks, elevated walkways and viewing platforms through wetlands, woodland habitats and tree-lined avenues.

The five-hectare portion of land along the Glebe and Annandale border, which stretches through the old Rozelle tram depot and Harold Park Paceway, will be reclaimed for the community as series of high-quality, connected open spaces.

“Our growing population in the inner city needs significant green open spaces. These spaces provide opportunities for exercise and activity – somewhere to walk the dogs and a haven to take some peaceful time out,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“The City has developed the draft Johnstons Creek Master Plan to help guide the creation of new green open space for the community. The plan aims to add another five hectares to local green open space which already includes the Glebe Foreshore, Bicentennial Park, Jubilee Park and Federal Park.

“When finalised, the master plan will have helped guide the creation of an enormous 32-hectare connected parkland for thousands of people to enjoy every day. It will also have protected natural habitats for native species now and into the future for Annandale, Glebe and Forrest Lodge.”

The green spaces will extend along the length of The Crescent, and stretch through the old Rozelle tram depot and former Harold Park Paceway sites to Wigram Road.

Features of the draft Johnstons Creek Master Plan include:

• Removal of most of the buildings along The Crescent and relocation of car parking to the edge of the parkland to open up more areas for recreation;
• Adaptive re-use of one existing building on The Crescent for a range of flexible recreation and community uses such as childcare, community meetings and activities, and public amenities;
• New fresh water wetlands, expanded salt marsh and areas of woodlands, shrublands and grassland habitats for local wildlife;
• Improved water quality in the parklands with rain gardens and natural landscape features;
• Jubilee Oval and Federal Park playing area upgrades and a new area for junior sports in The Crescent lands area; and
• A range of paths, boardwalks and viewing platforms connecting all parts of the parklands.

Work began on the plan last year, with the City consulting extensively with the local community. The draft Johnstons Creek Master Plan will be on exhibition at the Annandale Neighbourhood Centre, 79 Johnston St, and the Glebe Neighbourhood Service Centre, 186 Glebe Point Road, from 19 April until 17 May.

Final plans will be considered by Council later in the year.

There will also be a Community Open Day on 4 May between 10am-2pm, and the Lord Mayor will attend at 11am in Bicentennial Park

Marquees will be established in Bicentennial Park near Federal Road in Glebe, and at the playground in Federal Park near Chapman Road in Annandale.

The project team will give guided tours of the parklands at 11am and 1pm. Bookings are not required but there will be a limit of 15 people on each tour.

For more information and to have your say, visit sydneyyoursay.com.au/johnstons-creek-parklands.

For more information, contact City of Sydney Media Adviser Jo Wathen on 0467 810 160 or jwathen@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Senior Communications Officer Jonathon Larkin on 0477 310 149 or jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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All the family is invited to join a picnic with live music, green living workshops, gourmet food, and lots of bikes at the inaugural East Side Ride this weekend.

The free community event in Centennial Park this Sunday April 21 is being organised by community radio station EastsideFM and was made possible with a $10,000 Environmental Grant from the City of Sydney.

“This great event will provide practical and fun green living advice and live local music, while also educating people about how cycling can help tackle traffic congestion and keep you healthy,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

Eastside Ride’s Tony Smythe said the City’s funding was crucial to the first ever East Side Ride.

“By bringing together people from all sides of life the East Side Ride will provide a point of connectivity in our ever-expanding city,” he said

“It’s a picnic with rich pickings – soulful Sydney music, fabulous food from Sydney’s Food Trucks, bike fashion and games, and green living workshops.

“We’re hoping most people will ride their bike to the event and make a whole day of it. It will be a great grassroots gig with something for everyone.”

East Side Ride will bring together jazz funk gurus Directions In Groove, reggae ska outfit Kingtide and soul songstress Lily Dior.

There will also be a free morning yoga session, gardening and compost stalls, seed banks, kids’ edible gardens, and green living info.

At the cycling hub visitors can Try2Wheels, including electric bikes, watch and learn about rebuilding old bikes, and see a bike-polo and bike fashion display.

When:             Sunday 21 April 2013
Time:              9am – 4pm
Where:            Loch Avenue South. Centennial Park
Cost:               Free

To find out more visit: eastsidefm.org

For details on the City’s grants program:  cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/community/grants-and-sponsorships

For more information on cycling in the City visit sydneycycleways.net

Media contact: City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Leanne Bridges, phone 0434 320 768 or email lbridges@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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 Urban gardeners are literally putting their vegie patches and window boxes on the map.

As part of a drive to increase local food production and reduce waste, the City of Sydney and Grow It Local are calling on growers to put their vegie or herb patches on an interactive map of locally grown produce.

The Grow It Local website has 715 gardens registered nationally, including over 50 in the City of Sydney area, with a total area under cultivation of 6,890 square metres.

The campaign aims to encourage more residents and businesses to grow their own herbs and vegetables and register 500 patches on the map in the central Sydney area.

“Most food travels huge distances to reach our dinner plates. Growing your own simply makes sense and means you can enjoy healthy food and save money,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“Many people only have small spaces like balconies, courtyards or even window sills to grow plants, but even these spaces can produce remarkable results.”

Started in 2012, Grow It Local brings the local food producing community together – sharing knowledge and celebrating backyard, balcony, window sill and community farmers.

“Growing your own food, no matter how big or small, is a big step toward sustainable living,” said Grow It Local founder Andrew Valder. “The serious stuff aside – it’s fun and makes you feel good.”

Redfern resident and gardener, Kevin Bathman, grows his own food in the roof garden of his apartment building.

“Having an urban garden has not only allowed me to grow my own food, but to get to know my neighbours and create a much friendlier building,” he said

The City runs regular sustainability workshops on how to grow food in small spaces, with the next one in Waterloo on Saturday 25 May 2013. See greenvillages.com.au for details.

For more information contact: City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Jon Walter, phone 02 9265 9753, 0406 868 359 or email jwalter@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact: Matt Levinson 0427 044 768 or mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

Contact Grow It Local: Kate Walsh, Grow It Local, 0423 138 357

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