THURSDAY 1 JUNE 2017
PARLIAMENT HOUSE
Last year the Prime Minister announced a City Deal for western Sydney. In Redfern. Bravo.
Forty kilometres away from the deep heart of the region.
If it wasnt bad enough that they couldnt get the geography or politics right, the person left to fill in the detail, Assistant Minister for Cities Angus Taylor, completely cut Blacktown City Council out of the Western Sydney City Deal.
Did he forget which councils are actually in western Sydney?
In May the government announced incentives for eight western Sydney councils to fast-track development application approvals as part of the City Deal.
But excluded Blacktown Council the largest council in the NSW.
He says he wants 185,000 extra homes approved in western Sydney over 20 years.
Well Blacktown Council approves roughly 15,000 DAs a year, or 300,000 over 20 years.
Leaving Blacktown out of the City Deal puts a black hole in the middle of whatever infrastructure plans are developed making the overall deal compromised.
150,000 people are expected to move into the north-west growth centre Blacktown Council playing a role in the planning issues affecting those residents.
Politics has polluted the western Sydney City Deal. The Turnbull Government isnt serious about good outcomes; just a small, safe deal attracting cheap headlines.
Any fair dinkum Western Sydney City Deal would have the largest council in western Sydney smack in the centre of the deal.
Thats why the Turnbull Government Western Sydney City Deal like this government overall all show, and no go.
END