Councillor Adam Worling · City of Sydney

19/09/2026

NSW Police Raids on Oxford Street have happened twice now in three months.

These “intelligence-led” operations don’t feel intelligent. They feel accusatory, aggressive, intimidating and disrespectful.

I have spoken with many in the q***r community, and they are feeling incredibly let down and targeted by police.

They want answers.

They want context around what’s driving these repeat raids and why they seem to be concentrated on LGBTQIA+ venues. This behaviour is breaking our local businesses and damages trust between the community and the Sydney police force.

For these reasons, I will be bringing a Notice of Motion to Monday night’s Council meeting, asking the Minister for Police for answers. We are working so hard to rebuild Sydney’s nightlife and keep Oxford Street a safe place for the LGBTIQA+ community and our allies. The police must do better to respect that. Watch this space for more details.

15/09/2026

Away from the bustle of Surry Hills cafes, TOKYO HANDA TEA offers a serene atmosphere to shop, taste, and learn about traditional Japanese tea.

Founder Mariko Handa introduces me to the joys of her tea shop. She moved to Sydney 18 months ago, expanding her family’s incredible 200-year heritage as tea merchants.

13/09/2026

Sydney Fringe is in full swing! I went to FEAST in Hurstville, a homestyle Malaysian dinner by Sarah Tiong and Jennifer Wong, all while delighting in food stories from six of Australia’s funniest writers. There’s another 4 weeks of Fringe to go; book a ticket and support independent artists.

Caught up with PETER ROACH, the new GM 25hours Hotel The Olympia to talk all things hotel, bars, restaurants and also what the city has planned for Oxford Street and Art and About Festival at the end of October.

I joined the team Clean Up Australia for their Spring Clean around the C*D. It still staggers me that people think tossing a bottle top, cigarette butt, drink bottle or chip packet into the garden and gutter is no big deal. I love the Japanese philosophy that you take your rubbish home with you. We could certainly learn a lot from them!

I experience sheer JOY when I attend Sydney Dance Company. This week I saw CURRENT and what a hypnotic start and high-energy rave finish! Tickets on sale til September 20.

Pet Day is hosted by City of Sydney twice a year and I always love to go along. I joined Clover Moore AO in Surry Hills yesterday, along with the vet services that the city provides free of charge to all social housing residents.

This weekend was also filled with reading a mammoth amount of council papers - so I took a much needed break and hit Prince Alfred Park Pool for my last swim before they close for 8 weeks to replace the old gas heaters with electric heating which will be powered by renewable electricity. Check out my recent vid for more info.

12/09/2026

We are upgrading the Prince Alfred Park Pool gas heating to a more efficient electric system. This system will be powered by renewable electricity and the upgrade will save 540 tonnes of carbon emissions every year.
 
If you currently have a swim-only pass at Prince Alfred Park Pool your membership has been upgraded. So you can attend any of the 5 other City of Sydney pools and gyms during this maintenance period.

Last swim is Sunday 13th September and we will see you back at Prince Alfred Park before the summer season.

09/09/2026

Today is R U OK Day - a day where we are encouraged to check in on people around us in the name of mental health, compassion and kindness. 💛

It's not always obvious when someone is having a hard time -- in fact, we're all getting way too good at masking and pretending!

Today I would encourage you to take a moment and ask the people in your world, are you ok? Strike up a conversation with a colleague, a neighbour, a family member, an old friend. Not just today, but as often as you can. We are stronger when we support one another and this small gesture could make all the difference to someone's wellbeing. 🫶

For more ways to ask R U OK? visit R U OK?

06/09/2026

One of my favourite locations is National Art School in Darlinghurst. I met with their comms team this week to learn more about what they have planned for the the rest of 2026 and beyond. There is an amazing timetable of classes and events to attend. While I was there I checked out the Margaret Olley exhibition that is currently running, which is not to be missed. 

I met with Rohji to discuss a project that he is developing that would see him working with local designers, businesses and cultural organisations to create distinctive movable seating, providing more free places for people to rest, meet and spend time, while supporting local businesses and reflecting Oxford Street’s LGBTQIA+ history and identity.

Thursday night I joined friends to support Potts Point local and national icon (that is what one of her employers called her!) Glynis Traill-Nash to experience her one woman show “In These Shoes” as part of Sydney Fringe. What a tour de force it was. Any shows you see Sydney Fringe will be supporting independent artists. I am off to Hurstville on Thursday to see Feast - a night of Nyonya-style dishes and stories with sambal-ism

I love cinema and Saturday night I was so fortunate to see a screening of La Bola Negra Film as part of Mardi Gras Film Festival & Q***r Screen Film Fest This movie hit me for a six. One of the greatest cinematic love stories. This must be seen on the big screen from mid October. It already has HUGE Oscar buzz.

Congratulations to one of my favourite cafes Berto’s Espresso who celebrated 3 years on Crown Street and who throw an impromptu party to celebrate. Berto’s certainly serves up one of the best coffees around and a breakfast of champions.

05/09/2026

At the City of Sydney, we receive a lot of complaints about share bikes. But shared bikes are a State Government responsibility. We have been waiting more than 8 years for the State to put some legislation in place and finally (!) they have released some regulations. Sadly though, they are not good enough.

I think I speak for everyone when I say we want to get the bikes and the clutter off the footpaths. But for that to happen, we need stronger Share Bike Regulations.

Please join in and write to Minister for Transport Graham John Graham https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/ministers/minister-for-transport-arts-music-and-night-time-economy and MP Marjorie O’Neill [email protected] . Let them know what’s proposed is not good enough and Sydney deserves better.

31/08/2026

31/08/2026

Did you know blister packs are 100% recyclable? Let’s keep them out of our red and yellow bins!

The City of Sydney has 19 recycling stations located at local libraries, community centres, and the Victoria Park pool.

Help us keep blister packs out of landfill! Find your nearest recycling station here: https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/waste-recycling-services/using-recycling-stations

30/08/2026

Another busy week at work as we’re headed into spring.

I visited The Haymarket Foundation and Stamford House who provide crisis and transition housing for people with complex needs, including people with HIV experiencing homelessness. Both orgs are lead by the incredible Gowan Vyse and her passionate teams. It was deeply moving and both are community orgs that deserve more awareness.

Mid week meant back-to-back opening night shows Belvoir . First was The Book of Everything; in the dark world we are in, this was a stellar and joyous two hours of escape. Mum Club by Griffin Theatre Company , meanwhile, was set in Redfern and a hilarious take on the maddening world of mothers’ groups and finding your people. Huge shout out to Megan Wilding — always phenomenal to watch.

I joined the Lord Mayor for a tour through 343 George St, a city-owned asset that has undergone dramatic heritage restoration to restore it to its former glory. The new-look Burberry on street level is beautiful and the interior spaces across 10 levels are set to be very special, indeed.

While grabbing some groceries at Potts Point market I checked in on our Darlo parents and friends who were out in force to spread awareness about Goodstart’s decision to close their Bourke Street premises.

The city invests heavily to upgrade our parks so on Saturday it was a pleasure to be at the opening of the renewed Minogue Reserve (sadly no relation to our Kylie) at Broadway/Glebe. Next time you are in the area, go check it out.

And what a joy to speak at the official opening party of Sydney Fringe . Please support the independent arts and buy a ticket to a show; there’s plenty on that’s affordable, so be adventurous!