17 June 1971: Kelly's Bush green ban
Published: June 17, 2026
Duration: 1:32
On this day, 17 June 1971, construction workers in New South Wales initiated a "green ban", refusing to build luxury houses over Kelly's Bush, the last open space in a suburb.
Local women had been campaigning to save the park, and eventually they approached construction workers and their union, the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF). The workers agreed to boycott the work, in a move which became known as a "green ban".
Despite a management threat to use scab replacement workers, the builders and residents won, and Kelly's Bush remains an open public reserve today.
A wave of green bans sub...
Local women had been campaigning to save the park, and eventually they approached construction workers and their union, the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF). The workers agreed to boycott the work, in a move which became known as a "green ban".
Despite a management threat to use scab replacement workers, the builders and residents won, and Kelly's Bush remains an open public reserve today.
A wave of green bans sub...