At our next Council meeting on Tuesday 20 June, I'll be tabling the following motion to call on Transport for NSW to make the Rainbow Tunnels it installed in Ashfield, Newtown and Petersham for Pride Inner West and Sydney World Pride permanent.

1. That Council notes the successful collaboration between Transport for NSW and Inner West Council that saw three rainbow lighting artworks installed in Transport for NSW-owned pedestrian tunnels in Newtown, Petersham and Ashfield during Pride Inner West and Sydney WorldPride.

2. That Council notes that these works were produced and funded by Transport for NSW as part of its reVITALise 2023 Creative Program and Safer Cities Program;

3. That Council notes that these artworks were created by local LGBTQIA+ artists and were extremely well-received by the community;

4. That Council notes that, since these artworks were deinstalled in April/May, there have been requests from the community for them to be reinstalled;

5. That Council asks the Mayor to write to the Minister for Transport to request that Transport for NSW works with Inner West Council to make the Rainbow Tunnel artworks permanent.

Background

Transport for NSW (TfNSW) recently collaborated with Inner West Council to install rainbow lighting artworks in three of its tunnels during Pride Inner West and Sydney WorldPride. These were:

• ‘Stars of Splatters’ by HOSSEI, Petersham pedestrian subway tunnel
• ‘Slipstream’ by Alexandra Jonscher and Andrew Christie, Ashfield Station pedestrian tunnel
• ‘1000 Kisses’ by Kieran Butler, Newtown pedestrian tunnel.

The Rainbow Tunnels project was part of TfNSW’s reVITALise program, which is trialling creative interventions to support long term best-practice placemaking, and its Safer Cities Program, which supports trials of place-based approaches to improving women, girls and gender diverse peoples’ safety within public spaces.

Each of the three Rainbow Tunnels was designed by a different local LGBTIQA+ artist, and were extremely well received by the community. While they were designed to be temporary, local residents have asked that they be made permanent.

Given these tunnels are owned by Transport for NSW, which funded the works, I am proposing that the Mayor writes to the Minister for Transport to raise this request.