Parra News July 27 2021

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Tuesday, July 27, 2021
CUMBERLAND
CITY COUNCIL
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A Message from Mayor Steve Christou
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Cumberland City Council Sydney
cumberlandcitycouncil
Child care centres stay in house under new operating model
At Wednesday night’s Council meeting, it was
decided that Council-owned child care centres will
be given a refresh by consolidating some services
and balancing enrolments across different age
groups to implement the best operating model.
We pledged to explore all options and keep an
open mind and we’ve done that with the help of
a working group who’ve done an incredible job in
weighing up the options.
With staff costs and overheads, it was difficult to
compete with private providers as our centres were
losing up to $6 million a year. We’ve had to take
a long, hard look at enrolment numbers, costs of
staff and facilities and how to get the best value for
money for both rate payers and families of the 660
children who we provide care for.
Thanks to the hard work of the Councillor group I
work with, we have managed to achieve a positive
outcome for those who wanted the operation of
this service to remain under Council’s control, but
similarly those who have expressed concern about
how heavily this service was being subsidised by
rate payers. This really is a win-win for everyone
Crescent Parklands spells disaster
I am critical of the $525 million Crescent Parklands
planning proposal for Holroyd in Sydney’s west.
This massive development proposal will transform
the site into more than 1,200 units, up to 28 storeys
high – just off the already-congested Woodville
Road and M4, and near Parramatta Road. The
site is zoned for industrial use only, however, the
developer bypassed Council and sought a review
of the planning proposal under state planning
laws.
It’s the sort of development you may consider if
it was next to a train station or major transport
hub. It’s not smart planning and that’s why Council
would never support it. My concern is that it will
have a significant impact on existing amenities.
There’s no detailed plans for infrastructure
upgrades and limited public transport nearby.
It’s going to place an enormous strain on
and Council thanks the community for expressing
their views and their patience while we have worked
through this complex matter. We are very proud
that Cumberland City Council will continue looking
after the interests of our local community by caring
for local children.
Mayor Steve Christou, third from right, and
from left, Councillors Joseph Rahme, Greg
Cummings, Eddy Sarkis, Paul Garrard and
Michael Zaiter worked to keep council’s child
care centres up and running.
infrastructure that is already stretched.
We are at a loss to understand why the state
government would support the planning proposal
to rezone this site and open the door to high
density residential development in this area.
Perhaps the developer or the NSW Government
could explain what public transport upgrades are
proposed for the area. This area already suffers
from a lack of public transport, public services
and accessibility. This area deserves strong local
leadership. For far too long, this area has suffered
from a lack of basic infrastructure and services
that can only be provided by the NSW State
Government. I urge our local state members
of parliament to work collaboratively with our
community to ensure our voices are heard.
If you have any issues you’d like me
to help you with, please contact me
0419 651 187
steve.christou@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
New Infrastructure
Contributions Bill lacks
transparency
Just like the state government’s COVID-19
messaging, the state’s proposed changes to
the collection of developer contributions and
setting of infrastructure contributions policy is
vague, lacks detail and keeps councils and the
community in the dark.
The Bill defers future policy decisions to the
Minister which is a very dangerous precedent.
To take away such an important funding source
from local councils, then proclaim councils can
make up that revenue from raising rates on
their residents is extremely short-sighted and
a slap in the face for hard working Australians.
Cumberland City Council has worked very hard
to ensure that our residents do not experience
a rate rise. I sure don’t intend to start passing
on this cost to our ratepayers. I urge our local
State Members of Parliament to be vigilant
and active on this issue. At the very least our
residents deserve that level of service. If this
proposal goes through, Cumberland City
Council residents will be hit the hardest as our
community is one of the most vulnerable and
poorest in NSW.
The Parliamentary Inquiry into the
Environmental Planning and Assessment
Amendment (Infrastructure Contributions)
Bill 2021 heard from several councils but it’s
difficult for us to even have a position on the Bill
because it has very little detail. It’s impossible to
determine how that will impact councils and
the community.
One thing we can be certain of - this Bill will not
have a positive impact.
Not good enough – Granville trains go from fast to last
2
Mayor Steve Christou advocates for better public
transport services for Western Sydney
For the past four years, I have maintained a strong
voice advocating on behalf of commuters to the state
government to reinstate Granville’s express trains. And
this week I received a neglectful response from the
Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and Roads.
They’ve ruled out any changes to the timetable.
Several years ago, the state government ceased
running express trains from Granville. This is
completely unacceptable for residents and has
resulted in one hour commutes to the city which
previously took 35 minutes. Despite Council’s efforts,
there has been no improvement for our residents who
continue to struggle with their public transport needs.
As a Council, we have invested heavily in major
projects along the rail corridor and take pride in
ensuring that locals and visitors have access to high
quality infrastructure and services. Our residents
deserve better. I am tired of Cumberland City
being ignored and missing out on basic service
improvements that can be provided by the state
government. At a minimum, our residents deserve that
level of service. This isn’t good enough.
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