In a visionary break from the left/right political spectrum, Save Our Suburbs encourages community activists who are engaged in protecting neighbourhood character, environment and heritage values to become involved in the political process.

New electoral laws stack the cards against candidates who are not members of registered political parties. It is therefore important that prospective candidates look at ways of levelling the playing field. The SOS political party is registered with the NSW State Electoral Commission.

We are delighted to accept as members and candidates folk who have objectives similar to ours. If you are interested, click here to send us an email.

Local Government Council Elections - Sept 2008
Save Our Suburbs is contesting the Local Government Elections in September 2008 in Manly and Warringah. For details of our candidates see:

www.sosmanly.com

http://soswarringah.net

Join the Save Our Suburbs Party
Save Our Suburbs established a political party in New South Wales to increase pressure on politicians. The Save Our Suburbs Party is a separate organisation from the community organisation Save Our Suburbs (SOS) NSW Inc. Our politicians certainly need pressure at the moment. The more SOS Party members we have, the more pressure we can exert. It would be appreciated if you could ask family and friends to join. There is no additional cost. The law allows people to be members of as many parties as they like.

To join, please print, fill in and mail this Electoral Commission form. The name of the party is Save Our Suburbs. Please mail the completed form to Save Our Suburbs PO Box 492 Wahroonga.

There are more than fifty (50) local Community Groups in Sydney and coastal NSW towns. Local issues include:-

1. Loss of heritage and urban character of our suburbs to gross over-development.

2. Degradation of the environment of our towns and cities: loss of trees & wildlife, diminished biodiversity in the suburbs and increased pollution of watercourses caused by increased runoff from paved/hard surfaces.
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3. Traffic gridlock in our suburbs.

4. Increased strain on already stressed infrastructure. For example:

· Failing health services

- Rampant crime

- Increasing sewer overflows and popping of vents in wet weather due to overloading of old sewerage systems

· Lowering water pressure in many suburbs as a result of higher density and inadequate water storage for the increased numbers

· Fractured neighbourhoods and loss of a sense of community
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5. Loss of amenity for existing residents in re-zoned areas, including:

· Loss of privacy

· Reduced sunlight

· Access difficulties

6. Loss of confidence in the democratic process:

· Rezonings are forced in areas where the overwhelming majority of existing residents oppose it and local governments claim they have no choice because of the State Government Policy (SEPP 53)

· Existing residents feeling dismayed about the ad-hoc nature and poor quality of planning decisions and feeling frustrated that that the government is not listening to local communities

7. Toxic exhaust fumes from tunnels, causing health problems for both residents around exhaust stacks and motorists using tunnels such as the M5 East. Also refer the Residents Against Polluting Stacks website.