Published: 9 Nov 2009
Residents of Balmain come out in support of Sydney Ferries at Local Council meeting and call on the State Government to retain Sydney Ferries in public hands.
Residents of Balmain came out on the afternoon Saturday, November 7 at the Balmain Town Hall to voice their opposition to the sell-off of Sydney Ferries.
The meeting attended by over 300 residents, was hosted by the Mayor of Leichhardt Council, Jamie Parker and heard from speakers including the State Member for Balmain, Verity Firth MP and Assistant Sydney Branch Secretary Paul Garrett along with a number of workers from Sydney Ferries.
The public voiced their concern at the meeting that the decision to privatise Sydney Ferries was a poor choice and that they had real concerns that the services would be cut.
“Every morning, normal commuters at the wharves are telling us how angry they are about their services being sold off.” Said Paul Garrett. “Now more than ever, we need a government that ends the cycle of cut backs and sell offs and invests in public transport.”
Verity Firth MP said that despite the market-testing process that is currently underway, she expected it show that the best group to perform ferry services was Sydney.
Showing the support of Leichhardt Council for Sydney Ferries, Mayor Jamie Parker put the following motion to the floor, which was passed unanimously.
Sydney Ferries Resolution
This public meeting of residents of Balmain and surrounding suburbs agrees that the public interest is best served by the ongoing public ownership of Sydney Ferries.
Furthermore, this meeting calls on the NSW State Government to come forward and recognise the grave threat posed by privatisation.
Accordingly, we ask that the Premier, Minister for Transport and the NSW State Government as a whole to defend the public interest and ensure that Sydney Ferries remains in public ownership into the future.
