Election 2025: McMahon candidates and what they stand for

The vast seat of McMahon spans four council areas and has only been held by one MP. Meet the candidates vying for the seat on May 3, and read what they stand for.

Tileah Dobson

@TD0bbi

6 min read

April 22, 2025 - 12:49PM

The Advocate

Blacktown

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The seat of McMahon was named after former prime minister Sir William McMahon, replaced the abolished seat of Prospect in 2010.

This seat is in western Sydney and covers Erskine Park, Fairfield Heights, Greystanes, Guildford West, Horsley Park, Merrylands West, Minchinbury, Mt Vernon, Old Guildford, Pemulwuy, Smithfield, St Clair, Wetherill Park, and Woodpark.

It also covers parts of Abbotsbury, Arndell Park, Blacktown, Bossley Park, Canley Vale, Cecil Park, Eastern Creek, Fairfield, Fairfield West, Guildford, Huntingwood, Kemps Creek, Merrylands, Orchard Hills, Prairiewood, Prospect, Seven Hills South Wentworthville and Yennora.

Since its creation 15 years ago, Labor's Chris Bowen has been the only member to hold the seat.

This masthead contacted every candidate running in the election with the same questions.

Matthew Camenzuli – Independent

Matthew Camenzuli is the Independent candidate for the seat of McMahon. Picture: Supplied

Matthew Camenzuli grew up in Greystanes and started his software company that services the residential building industry, from the family home. Mr Camenzuli and his family have always called Sydney’s west home. He said he was sick of major parties and career politicians serving themselves rather than the community.

He famously sued former PM Scott Morrison over the lack of democracy within the Liberal Party and he wanted to ensure members had a voice.

His disillusionment with Australian politics led him to run as an “Independent for You”, not for any party. He said he was determined to bring common sense, courage and authenticity back to Canberra.

What inspired you to run for the seat?

McMahon is where I grew up, I went to school in Greystanes and my first job was in Smithfield. I started my business and family here as well. It’s why I know that McMahon is a seat crying out for a capable alternative, that cares and doesn’t take people in the west of Sydney for granted.

Australia deserves better than career politicians.

The major parties, and Labor in particular, offer us nothing – just more of the same. More opportunity to make policy that suit themselves, at our expense. I have never felt represented and my fellow community members tell me the same.

The Labor Party has always taken the seat for granted and the Liberal Party has never taken it seriously. It’s time for a strong independent.

Whatdo you see as the biggest issues for this election and how do they apply to the region?

The biggest issue by far is the cost of the basics, from food and groceries, to housing, energy and fuel. Our community is in need of swift access to quality health care. The tolls and costs applied to our community just because of our postcode must be urgently addressed.

I am also hearing concerns from the community about the high levels of immigration – specifically, the pressure this places on housing, health care and infrastructure, and I think we need to have a sensible conversation about it.

We are in this mess because of the major parties and career politicians who have never had a real job, or experienced life outside of the bubble. They don’t understand how we got here, and they don’t know how to fix it.

We need a rapid return to common sense in government. The ideological issues they focus on and try and distract us with have an amplified impact on places like McMahon. They distract from the real issues that put factory, construction and other real-work jobs at risk. They put pressure on our small and medium businesses and, most importantly, they put massive pressure on households who are struggling to make ends meet.

Too many young people are struggling to buy or even rent a home. This is because our region is told to do the heavy lifting.

What is your top three wish list for the electorate?

1. A permanent removal of the whole fuel excise – we have no alternative but to drive and fuel is too expensive. This would bring the price of fuel down over 50c a litre and help reduce the cost of everything.

2. The usage of Australia’s resources for Australians as a priority, not other countries. Most of our resources are used by other countries for their own industry, and Australians instead pay ridiculous power bills and face blackouts because the energy grid has been turned into Swiss cheese. We must rapidly reduce the cost of electricity in Australia and the current plan is only making things more expensive and quickly. The cost of energy is in everything we have, everything we need and everything we do. I want to see an immediate return to real and practical energy generation solutions. No amount of government assistance can keep up with the rising costs and now people in McMahon can’t afford to live, and that has to change, now!

3. Bringing Fairfield Hospital up to the same standards as Sydney’s finest. It is the closest hospital to one of Australia’s largest industrial areas – where there are workplace injuries – and it is in an absolute state of disrepair. Many people don’t realise that the hand centre in Fairfield Hospital provides services to people from demountables. The announced funding is not enough. McMahon is the engine room of Sydney’s economy and we deserve world class health facilities. Simple as that. We just deserve better. Hospitals are an asset, not a liability.

Ben Hammond – The Greens

Ben Hammond is the Greens candidate for the seat of McMahon.

Mr Hammond is a passionate advocate for fairness, climate justice and real investment in people – not big corporations. A long-time resident of Doonside, he knows first hand the challenges facing families in McMahon: skyrocketing rents, long commutes, underfunded services and the impacts of a warming climate. He works as a consultant and brings ample experience in international relations, politics and business to the table, as well as a keen interest in community and strengthening civil society.

What inspired you to run for the seat?

I grew up seeing how hard people work in western Sydney. Long hours, multiple jobs, all to build a better life. For all that effort, things are getting harder. Housing is unaffordable, bills keep piling up, we’re being gouged at the till and our and our air quality is worsening while the big parties do nothing.

I’m running because I am sick of our area being treated as “safe” and therefore neglected or ignored by the big two parties. The Greens are the only party that refuses donations from big corporations and fossil fuel giants. We’re fighting for real solutions – affordable homes, fare-free public transport, strong wages and bold climate action that ends the cost-of-living crisis and improves our quality of life.

Whatdo you see as the biggest issues for this election and how do they apply to the region?

In suburbs like Fairfield, Merrylands and Smithfield, rents have surged by nearly 20 per cent over the past two years, while almost one in three renters in Blacktown are in rental stress.

The Greens will cap rent increases, build high-quality public and affordable housing, and provide wraparound support services to end homelessness. No one should have to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table.

Meanwhile, one in three big corporations pay no tax, and Labor and the Liberals are pouring $378bn into nuclear submarines for Donald Trump’s war machine. We might never even see them, but we’re expected to foot the bill.

The Greens would scrap wasteful deals, and instead use that money to bring dental and mental health care into Medicare, erase student debt, and invest in services that actually improve people’s lives.

What is your top three wish list for the electorate?

Public and affordable homes in western Sydney, not just promises, but real builds. We’ll push for thousands of new homes to be built with rents capped at affordable prices. No one should have to leave their community just to afford a roof over their head.

Free, fast and reliable public transport that connects our suburbs properly — not just express routes to the CBD. Let’s expand services to and from Wetherill Park, Greystanes, Doonside and St Clair where buses are rare, and introduce 50c fairs.

Greener, cooler neighbourhoods. That means planting millions of trees and building world-class outdoor recreational spaces across western Sydney, putting solar and batteries on every public building, and restoring bushland and flood resilience projects to protect against future disasters while keeping electricity bills down.