MEDIA RELEASE - 11th November 2003

Union Green Ban on Water Police Site

In years gone by Pyrmont was a tight-knit community. A community of blue-collar workers, wharfies, labourers. They stuck together, supporting each other.

Today the Pyrmont community, which now includes middle-class retirees and well-heeled executives, as well as public housing residents and construction workers, are again supporting each other. They are battling to prevent high-rise development on publicly owned land, the Water Police site at Elizabeth Macarthur Bay, at Pyrmont.

This disparate group came together on Tuesday afternoon to hear the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union announce it has placed an interim green ban on the Water Police site. This land is under the control of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority who is preparing a development application for commercial and residential units on the site.

Speaking at Pyrmont Point, State Secretary of the CFMEU, Andrew Ferguson, said that this interim ban would give the local community time to engage in meaningful consultation with the State Government over the future of the site. He said, that whilst the union's primary concerns are safety and the working conditions of members, the interim ban is in line with their broader social responsibility for the community living environment. "We don't want to see Hong Kong style development on Sydney Harbour" he said.

Jack Mundey, a life member of the union, said that the ban followed a proud tradition of preservation dating back to the seventies. The Rocks, the Queen Victoria Building and Centennial Park have all benefited from green bans over the years.

The community group, Friends of Pyrmont Point, have arranged a meeting with Craig Knowles, Minister for Infrastructure Planning and Natural Resources, to discuss their case for preserving the site as a public park.

Marcelle Hoff, President of the Friends of Pyrmont Point said, "It is of great significance when such a diverse group of people come together to protect their land, and this ban is a further indication of the importance of the site as a community asset. I am most impressed with the diligence and judgement shown by the CFMEU. This is not something they have done lightly. Our delegation spoke at length to their state executive and they then set up a committee who questioned us about the site, our objectives and the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority's plans, prior to recommending the ban to the union members. We are extremely grateful for their support."

City of Sydney Deputy Lord Mayor, Dixie Coulton, attended the union rally and said she supported the case for the site to be a public park. She stated she would urge Sydney City Council to register its support for the union green ban.

Marcelle Hoff
Friends of Pyrmont Point
(02) 9571 4373
0421 911 677
www.pyrmontpoint.net