I'll be tabling the following Notice of Motion at next week's Council meeting on Tuesday 8 March. As ever, if you have any feedback, I'd love to hear from you.

UPDATE: The motion passed unanimously, with points 5 and 6 added as amendments. I'm looking forward to helping these projects come to fruition as part of World Pride.

THAT Council:

1. Commences immediate planning work with its LGBTQ Working Group to deliver a rainbow pathway in Newtown in time for World Pride 2023, noting that the proposal will be put to the community for consultation before it is implemented;

2. Notes that initial discussions with the LGBTQ Working Group and Council staff have raised several viable options, including lighting one of the existing pathways in Camperdown Memorial Rest Park with rainbow lights; painting one of the existing pathways in this park in rainbow colours; or a painting a rainbow pathway outside Newtown Town Hall;

3. Looks to incorporate elements that would share and celebrate our LGBTQ history as part of the project;

4. Develops options for funding this initiative as part of the 2022/23 Budget;

5. Submit a request to the Geographical Names Board to rename the public square outside Newtown Town Hall "Pride Square" in advance of Sydney World Pride; and

6. Establish a World Pride Committee for the period of a year, tasked with working towards including Inner West Council venues and programs in Sydney World Pride, consisting of 3 councillors (Chair: Deputy Mayor Jessica D'Arienzo, Clr Pauline Lockie and Clr Liz Atkins), 2 representatives of the LGBTQ Working Group and relevant staff.

Background

Council had previously resolved in December 2019 to investigate installing a rainbow crossing at the intersection of King St and Enmore Rd in Newtown as a visible sign of pride and support for our LGBTQ community.

Such on-road rainbow crossings require the approval of Transport for NSW (TfNSW). TfNSW has advised Council that it would not support a rainbow crossing in this location, and is also unlikely to approve other locations for on-road rainbow crossings.

Noting that the idea was initially proposed by Council’s LGBTQ Working Group, I have been having discussions with them about potential alternatives. These initial discussions have seen the LGBTQ Working Group raise several alternative ideas, including the two options in Camperdown Memorial Rest Park noted above.

Council staff have also advised that the natural curvature of the pathway outside the Newtown Town Hall would lend itself to a rainbow pathway, especially given this is the site of Council’s proposed Pride Centre.

The LGBTQ Working Group has also noted that creating such a pathway would also provide an opportunity for Council to share key elements of our LGBTQ history, similar to the way Adelaide’s Rainbow Walk features a timeline that highlights key milestones for South Australia’s LGBTQ community.

With World Pride 2023 fast approaching, I am proposing that Council commences immediate planning work with the LGTBQ Working Group to propose a way forward that would allow a rainbow pathway to be installed in time for this global event in Sydney in February/March 2023. I am also proposing that we look at how the story of our own LGBTQ community can be shared and celebrated as part of the project.

Above: How the rainbow path could look at Newtown Town Hall and Camperdown Memorial Rest Park.