A Shorten Labor Government will expand the Western Sydney City Deal to include Blacktown City Council through our City Partnerships program.
The Western Sydney City Deal was signed in March 2018 and includes the local governments of Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Liverpool, Penrith and Wollondilly.
The Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government’s failure to include Blacktown City Council in the Western Sydney City Deal is short-sighted and limits the development of a genuinely strategic vision for the region.
This makes no sense given the size of this local council and its location.
Blacktown City Council covers 48 residential suburbs, which are home to over 370,000 people. This makes Blacktown the second largest local government area in New South Wales.
Moreover, Blacktown City Council’s local economy produces more than $17.1 billion a year in gross regional product and supports around 138,000 jobs, of which approximately 44 per cent are occupied by local residents.
In the last five years the LGA’s economic output has grown by an average of 4.6% each year.
Including Blacktown City Council in our City Partnership for Western Sydney makes strategic sense given its focus on job creation and unlocking a
30-minute city.
The Coalition’s decision comes despite the fact that Blacktown City Council has been included in the Western Sydney City Deal Planning Partnership, which looks at ‘innovative approaches to planning and delivery of housing’.
This in itself recognises that the Western Sydney City Deal cannot be delivered without the involvement of Blacktown City Council.
Labor will also invest $7.5 million in local priority projects identified by Blacktown City Council, consistent with what the other local councils received and calls on the NSW Government to match this commitment.
Labor has already said that we would honour the elements of any signed City Deal but that we will build upon it under our City Partnerships program, which will involve proper consultation with communities through their local governments.
End the chaos.  Vote for change.  Vote for Labor.