STATE POLITICS
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Green tick for rights activist Former Marrickville Mayor beaten in Greens pre-selection for Newtown seat @connolly2204
CHRIS CONNOLLY
Greens candidate for Newtown, Jenny Leong worked on human rights violations in Burma, the Middle East and North Africa. “I loved living in London and Hong Kong and experiencing the vibrancy of big
cities. That’s what I love about Newtown too,” Ms Leong said. She nominates affordable housing, public transport and bike paths as key
local news
T
he Greens Party has announced human rights campaigner Jenny Leong as their candidate for the seat of Newtown at next year’s State Election. Ms Leong grew up in Adelaide but has lived in Newtown since the age of 19 when she studied performing arts at the University of Sydney. Of part Malaysian Chinese heritage, she became aware of discrimination and became committed to the idea of equality and fairness. “I didn’t realise until I moved to Newtown that passion for equality was part of a broader community, that there was a collective group of people that wanted to change the world,” she said. Ms Leong became involved in the South Sydney Youth Advisory Committee and was active in student politics, being elected both to the University Senate and as president of the Sydney University Postgraduate Representatives Association. Her activism started to lean towards refugee issues and human rights and she got a job with Amnesty International locally before being promoted to positions in London and Hong Kong, where she
local issues for the electorate at the next state election. “It’s important we maintain public housing in the Inner West and Inner City. People love the diversity it brings to the local community. If you lose that you lose the community,” she said. She feels the residents of this area want their elected representative to champion broader progressive causes as well, such as action on climate change and democratic freedoms. “The O’Farrell Government’s policies on pub lockouts and Zoe’s Law are an overreaction to personal tragedies that infringe on our civil liberties,” she said. “At Amnesty, I saw the most oppressive regimes and I’m highly sensitive to any erosion of our civil liberties. Once you lose them, you lose your ability participate fully in society.” Ms Leong said the vote in the pre-selection was very close and she paid tribute to her opponent, former Marrickville Mayor Fiona Byrne, whom she described as “a strong, passionate and committed local Green”. The Labor Party is also in the process of selecting its candidate for Newtown and will make an announcement this weekend. The Liberal Party is expected to nominate its candidate later in the year.
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