Long-standing MP Alex Greenwich fights for re-election in Sydney

By JOHN MOYLE

Independent member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich, is looking to be an unassailable candidate once again for his inner city seat.

Since first winning the seat in 2012, after the then independent Clover Moore was forced to stand down for holding her parliamentary position along with her role as Lord Mayor of Sydney, Greenwich has proven the naysayers wrong by increasing his majority each election cycle.

The electoral district of Sydney, which has recently undergone boundary changes, comprises of the suburbs surrounding the CBD and to Surry Hills in the south and Paddington in the west.

It has a population of around 55,000 with a growing CBD demographic as large apartment projects in places such as Barangaroo come online.

Over the past 20 years or so the area has also seen areas such as Ultimo and Surry Hills change from a solid working class base to one more upwardly mobile.

These are all changes that Greenwich seems to be able to navigate with ease, as he has lived in the inner-city since since his parents immigrated to Australia from New Zealand.

“I was born in New Zealand, and my family came over here in ’87, when I went to Fort Street Primary and Sydney Grammar before uni,” Alex Greenwich, member NSW Legislative Assembly said.

“Basically I have been living here my entire adult life.”

Each election cycle brings its own series of major issues that sit alongside local issues that a local member need to address.

“I think an immediate concern for people is the cost of living pressure, and that means the rent that people are paying, the interest rates that people are paying, the cost of food and electricity and the impact that is having on people, particularly linked to housing and the need for greater investment in social and community and affordable housing in the inner city,” Greenwich said.

Greenwich calls for an end to no ground evictions

Greenwich has a long record of supporting a ban on no fault evictions in NSW, which allow landlords to evict a tenant without reason at the end of or during a lease, thus allowing the property to be relet at a higher price.

“For a long time I have supported getting rid of no fault evictions, there are just too many stories of people being kicked out of their home to make way for renters who can pay more, and this is a pathway to homelessness,” Greenwich said.

In concert with Jenny Leong, Greenwich put forward legislation to this effect, with support in principle from Labor and the cross bench, only to have Labor refuse to have the bill debated.

Recent years has seen the state Liberal government sell of large areas of social housing in inner city areas such as The Rocks and Glebe, claim public foreshore areas for casinos and support zoning for higher office projects in historic areas such as Observatory Hill.

Added to the over development for office space, large and important social housing projects in the Sydney division, such as Northcott Surry Hills, have been suffering from years of physical and social services neglect.

With the boundary changes Northcott Estate now falls into the boundary of Sydney, and Greenwich is determined to see positive changes for this social housing complex of over 1,000 people.

“There is a real backlog on repairs and maintenance, and we know there needs to be a greater investment in people’s health and wellbeing,” Greenwich said.

Greenwich also says that much more can be done on setting bolder emissions reduction targets, including making sure that renters also have access to cheaper solar energy.

“We have to incentivise landlords to make sure that rental properties and apartments have access to solar,”Greenwich said

As an independent Greenwich has chosen his fights carefully, and has an impressive track record on major reform, despite having being accused early in his career of being a single issue politician.

Support for LGBTQ+ community

In his two terms he has been successful in supporting major LGBTQ+ issues, including marriage equality, a health strategy for the community, a Special Commission of Enquiries into LGBTQ+ hate crimes and the roll out of the monkey pox vaccine.

“Sydney has an MP and because he is LGBTQ+ he understands that large part of the community and I have been proud to deliver for them,” Greenwich said.

Greenwich has also had recent wins with the passing of the Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation, the decriminalisation of abortion in NSW, plus working with local parents to get a new high school on Cleveland Street.

“There have also been the bad laws that we have stopped such as hunting in national parks, stopping deforestation that also protects koala habitat and progressing law reform,” Greenwich said.

“After 10 years I am able to show that not only will I continue to champion the LGBTQ+ community but also all of Sydney’s communities.”

Most recently, efforts by Greenwich has seen both major parties support the end gay conversion practices, along with anti-discrimination of teachers and students in the education sector, plus bringing both sides of parliament to the table on reducing gambling harm.

Not being a part of a major party means that Greenwich can pick and choose his political battles and respond to Sydney constituents’ concerns with an agility that is seldom possible for the bigger political machines.

Alex Greenwich has just been shortlisted for the 2022 McKinnon Prize Political Leader of the Year that recognises the positive impact of a politician on their community.