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Monday, May 11, 2020

Jack Mundey, union leader and environmental activist, dies aged 90

Jack Mundey was a giant of the labour movement, a man willing to back up his words with action and he saved so much of Sydney's green space and heritage for generations to come


Arthur King A teacher and member of the Sydney Push, who initiated a meeting of residents regarding eviction at his flat at 97a Victoria Street in March 1973 where they decided to form a residents’ association. His disappearance over a weekend pre-empted the nasty air of danger and intimidation that marked the three-year Victoria Street campaign. Arthur King later said the aim of keeping low-cost housing in the best streets in Sydney “had no chance of success”.’ Later King worked as an advisor to John Hatton, a NSW independent MP and anti-corruption campaigner. On 29 May 2013 Arthur and Jack shared many soulful stories and spiritual drinks at John Hatton's 80th birthday party ... 

Mundey Plaque : 07-March-2015
Mundey Plaque : 07-March-2015



Monica Attard
@AttardMon

Justice McClelland: "When the respectable burghers of Hunters Hill are sitting eating their lunch on the grass at Kellys Bush,

Veteran unionist and environmentalist Jack Mundey, who campaigned to protect some of Sydney's most famous areas from development, has died aged 90.
Mr Mundey rose to prominence in the 1970s for his leadership of the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF), which was best known for its green bans and credited with stopping several developments at The Rocks.
He died late last night and is survived by his wife Judy.
Even in his final years, Mr Mundey continued to fight against development, and campaigned to protect historic sites including the Sirius building and Bondi Pavilion.
Mr Mundey also took a stand against the Barangaroo development and unsuccessfully sought an injunction in 2011.
Through his work in the BLF, Mr Mundey was credited with preserving working-class communities and historic buildings in areas like Woolloomooloo, Potts Point and The Rocks.
As developers circled these inner-city areas, even proposing a freeway through Glebe and an Olympic Stadium in Centennial Park, Mr Mundey launched a fierce fight to protect green space and history.
If it weren't for his ability to unite people, part of Sydney's Botanic Gardens would have been bulldozed to make way for the Opera House carpark which was eventually forced underground.
Jack Mundey's activism helped preserve many of Sydney's historic sites.(Supplied: City of Sydney Archives)
During the green bans Mr Mundey organised, builders refused to work on projects they perceived to be environmentally or socially undesirable.
Mr Mundey was arrested many times as the then Askin Government attempted to evict tenants to make way for developer's bulldozers.
"In the main the people stood firm and the idea that we should have a people's plan for The Rocks, keep it essentially low-rise, with people having a right to live there and not be all driven out of the city and that there should be some place for working-class people to live in the inner-city area," Mr Mundey said in a recent interview with the NSW Department of Housing.





Jack Mundey AO was an Australian union and environmental activist. He came to prominence during the 1970s for leading the New South Wales Builders' Labourers Federation in the famous green bans, whereby ... Wikipedia
Born: 17 October 1929, Malanda
Died: 10 May 2020
Books: Green Bans & Beyond, Union Power, Jack Mundey: The Power of the Individual Worker


The union giant who helped shape the city of Sydney




The suggestion comes amid warnings of "a catastrophic waste crisis" for Sydney if the Government is forced into a long appeal process.
Last Friday two western Sydney residents won a year-long case in the Land and Environment Court overturning State Government consent for a new waste transfer plant at Clyde. ( Collex renamed as Violia / Most corrupt French Entity in the world...)

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Little Richard, Founding Father of Rock Who Broke Musical Barriers, Dead at 87 Rolling Stone. Flights of angels sing thee to thy rest:



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29 May 2020

 Conservative talkback host Alan Jones has announced his retirement after a long and controversial career dominating Sydney breakfast radio.
Mr Jones announced his shock exit to breakfast show listeners on Tuesday morning telling them he would wrap up broadcasting on May 29.