Meet new Greens Senator Robert Simms

You are invited to a Town Hall-style Q&A Forum with new Greens Senator for South Australia Robert Simms.

 Robert is the Australian Greens’ spokesperson for Higher Education, Sexuality and Marriage Equality, and Water and the Murray Darling Basin. At age 31 he is the nation’s youngest Senator and the second youngest member of the Federal Parliament.

Immediately prior to becoming a Senator in September this year, Robert was an Adelaide City Councillor where he was a strong voice for progress, promoting: greener streets, better cycling infrastructure, ethical investment and improved access for people with disabilities.

 This is an exciting opportunity to hear from Robert about the Greens’ positive vision for South Australia.

 Please join us at The Joinery, 111 Franklin Street, Adelaide, on Thursday, 10 December, 5:30pm.

 To register, please click here.

 Please feel free to promote this event to your networks.

Resignation from Adelaide City Council

On Tuesday I tendered my resignation from Adelaide City Council following my selection by the members of the South Australian Greens to fill the casual vacancy created by Penny Wright’s resignation from the Federal Senate (photo from press conference above).

It has been an honour to represent the community on Adelaide City Council and I have thoroughly enjoyed my 10 months as Area Councillor.

I look forward to continuing to promote the interests of our beautiful city in he future in my new capacity as Senator for South Australia.

Thank you for all your support on the journey so far!

Realising Adelaide’s Progressive Potential

The following opinion piece was published in this month’s Adelaide Review (1 August 2015). 

Adelaide has undergone an exciting transformation in recent years but we need to resist the temptation to take our foot off the pedal. The challenge now is not to maintain the status quo but to build on this momentum by embracing new ideas and opportunities. So where to next in the revitalisation of our city?

Councillor’s Update (July 2015)

Welcome to the 8^th edition of my e-newsletter (July 2015). This has been a busy month with some passionate debate about the future of the Frome Street Bikeway and the Royal Croquet Club.

Royal Croquet Club to remain in Victoria Square for 2016

The Royal Croquet Club will remain in Victoria Square for 2016 with some improvements to community access and amenity, following a resolution of Council last night. Given their desire to expand, from 2017 the RCC operators indicated they will look for another venue in the city that better suits their needs.

Council looks to the future on bikeways

Last week Adelaide City Council launched an investigation into extending the Frome Street Bikeway from Pirie Street to the River Torrens. The investigation will also look at potential improvements to the existing Frome Street Bikeway (Carrington to Pirie Street) but in a win for cyclists, a majority of Councillors ruled out any major redesign.

Bikeway Backflip?

Last week Council’s Economic and Community Development Committee recommended that ACC investigate redesigning Frome Street to provide for two driving lanes during peak hours. I voted against this motion and would rather see Council focus on rolling out new cycling infrastructure.

Council triples green scheme

Adelaide City Council has tripled funding for its Solar Incentive Scheme with eligibility criteria expanded to include schools, businesses and office buildings. This provides a real opportunity for Council to work with the business sector to reduce emissions in the city and I was delighted to support the expanded scheme at last night’s meeting. You can read more about it in this article on InDaily. 

Councillor’s Update (June 2015)

Welcome to the 7th edition of my E-Newsletter (June 2015). This has been an interesting month on Council, with the finalisation of our provisional budget for the coming year, increased community debate about the State Government’s O-Bahn plan and a push for more events in the West End of the city.

Bring the party to the West End

At the Council meeting on May 26, I moved a motion asking administration to inventigate opportunities for more events in the West End. This was the subject of a story in The City (above). You can read the full text of the motion here.