Frank Carbone: Fairfield mayor says Premier Chris Minns’ government ‘lost touch’ with Western Sydney

Outspoken mayor Frank Carbone has penned a letter to Chris Minns, calling on a cost-rise reversal, and accused the new government of ignoring the “engine room of the city”.

Mayor Frank Carbone at Fairfield Showground. The mayor has called on Premier Chris Minns to rethink costs and funding for the LGA. Picture: Richard Dobson

Fairfield mayor Frank Carbone has penned a letter to NSW Premier Chris Minns, detailing new costs on his council, accusing the government of “cost shifting”, and warning the Labor leader of a “haves, have-nots” divide.

He also accused the new government of ignoring the “engine room of the city” after it got the keys to Macquarie St.

“Our community need is great, yet their ability to pay is limited,” Mr Carbone said in the letter to Mr Minns. “Council’s financial stability and capacity is undermined when the government doesn’t pay its fair share.”

Fairfield, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, is the most disadvantaged LGA in NSW, its score dropping after harsh Covid lockdowns on the area.

Mayor Carbone said the cost increases would impact services, in turn affecting residents. Picture: Richard Dobson

“Previous governments treated our residents as second-class citizens and created communities of haves and have-nots,” Mr Carbone said.

A page-long list of increases to council’s coffers were detailed to the premier, which Mr Carbone said added an extra $6.9 million to Fairfield’s budget per annum.

The extra costs include a double-threat of increasing levies – Emergency Services Levy and waste – and a financial-assistance reduction – including a change in the delivery of Federal Assistance Grants.

“If we don’t receive funding, there is a real risk that services will have to be reduced,” Mr Carbone said.

A 7.7 per cent rise in the waste levy, Mr Carbone said, would mean an extra $800,000 burden on Fairfield ratepayers every year, as well as $600,000 due to the recent ESL rise.

“It’s a sneaky tax, collecting money on people’s rubbish – paying every time they put something in the bin,” he said.

Mr Carbone, alongside other mayors, called on NSW Premier Chris Minns to rethink the ESL rise. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Mr Carbone warned the premier to not perpetuate the “haves” and “have-nots” divide.

“The government is no longer looking at those most in need, they’re collecting tax from Western Sydney’s poker machines and spending it in the eastern suburbs or on shiny new stadiums,” Mr Carbone said.

“The government is relying on hardworking people to prop up its budget, but it’s our area’s communities, the engine room of the state, who need a helping hand.”

The Daily Telegraph revealed the anger among the state’s mayor’s over the ESL increase, which saw councils scrambling to find millions in their 2023-24 budgets.

Council services, and in turn ratepayers, risked being impacted by the extra costs without a reversal, the mayor said. Picture: Richard Dobson

“It will force us to rethink services to some of the state’s most vulnerable communities,” Mr Carbone said.

The mayor cited the uncertainty around the Metro west, limited funding for Fairfield Hospital, and the latest costs as another example of a government getting the keys to Macquarie St and forgetting about Western Sydney.

“Governments seem to lose their way the second they get into power, losing touch with the struggles of everyday people, especially in Fairfield,” Mr Carbone said.

New and ongoing costs on Fairfield include about $2 million in reduced grants, the recent rise in both the ESL and waste levies, what Mr Carbone described as “unfair WestInvest funding allocations” – where Fairfield received the second lowest amount per capita – inflation-related costs, and what council described as $15 million in “nonrecoverable” Covid-induced losses, among others.

The Premier was contacted for comment.

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