Thousands of people took to the streets of Parramatta on the weekend in a powerful show of strength of the community support to save historic Willow Grove from Gladys Berejiklian's wrecking ball.
"The May Day rally on Saturday should serve as a warning to the government of the type of mobilisation they can expect if they attempt to defy the wishes of the people of Parramatta and move to destroy Willow Grove," said Darren Greenfield, CMFEU NSW Secretary.
"This was by far the biggest march and rally seen in Parramatta in decades and shows how deeply the opposition to the government's plans runs. It also shows that trade unionists from around Sydney would be willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Parramatta to preserve this unique heritage site."
"There is no need to destroy Willow Grove to make way for the government's proposed museum and shopping complex. It is bizarre to suggest the only way the people of Sydney's west can have a new cultural institution is by tearing down and paving over irreplaceable heritage sites."
"The government can run as much push-polling as it likes, but at the end of the day the people of Parramatta and their supporters across the trade union movement have shown they can put the boots on the ground to stop the destruction of Willow Grove."
"The Green Ban on the destruction of Willow Grove remains in force. It's time for the Berejiklian Government to sit down with the community to find a way to build the Powerhouse without destroying this important heritage site."
