Last week Sydney lost a great activist, Irene Doutney. Irene's death on 11 June 2018 represents a significant loss, not only for her many friends and the inner city community, but for the Greens NSW.
A 78er, Irene participated in the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and was a long-time advocate for LGBTIQ rights. She was a dedicated defender of her local Redfern-Waterloo communities, including through her involvement with local organisations The Factory Community Centre and REDWatch.
In particular, she was an advocate for her fellow public housing residents, which led her in 2006 to join The Greens.
In 2008 Irene was elected a Councillor for the City of Sydney and eight years later, in 2016, became Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney. Irene's vision for Sydney was for a city which was sustainable, diverse and inclusive. As a public housing tenant and low-income earner, her aim when running for Council was to give a voice to the voiceless and to be an advocate for the views of the ordinary person.
The issues with which Irene engaged were legion: she spoke against the Northern Territory intervention, campaigned for the greening of Sydney, opposed the sell-off of public housing, campaigned against council amalgamations, questioned the state government's plans to remake Redfern and Waterloo, and led the successful push for the City of Sydney to divest from fossil fuels.
Her achievements on Council included establishing the City of Sydney as a Fair Trade Town, creating the first Ecology officer on Council, introducing protocols for the protection of urban wildlife, introducing a new drop off e-waste system, and helping ensure strong public access to the new park at Barangaroo. She was Deputy Chair of the Council’s Environment and Heritage Committee and Co-Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel. She represented the City of Sydney by presenting the City’s Biodiversity Strategy to the UN Convention in Nagoya. She was particularly proud of her work to deliver the $7 million upgrade to the Joanna O’Dea public housing complex in Forest Lodge.
The Greens - and the community - are the poorer for Irene's passing.
You can read more about Irene here, including tributes from her colleagues.
A community memorial for Irene has been scheduled for 2pm on Friday 29 June 2018 at Redfern Town Hall.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to The Factory Community Centre in Waterloo. The Factory has been in operation for more than 30 years, and provides support services and advocacy for public housing tenants, families and people on low income others living in Redfern and Waterloo. It is hub and meeting place for local community, activist and resident groups. Irene was a strong supporter of the centre and was on the board for several years.
You can donate to The Factory Community Centre by direct deposit to:
Commonwealth Bank
Counterpoint Community Services
BSB: 062 231
AccNo: 1035 1723
Counterpoint Community Services (The Factory) are a registered charity. People are asked to use 'Irene' as reference when making a donation, and then send an email requesting a receipt to: admin@counterpointcs.org.au
We are also collecting tributes to Irene's life and activism. If you would like to share a contribution, please complete the fields below: