Concerns over Liverpool mayor Ned Mannoun’s call for $100,000 campaign for Fifteenth Ave upgrades

A southwest Sydney’s mayor’s campaign to push for “forgotten” road upgrades during a council meeting has raised concerns from two state MPs about what one claimed was a “blatant abuse” of taxpayers dollars for electioneering.

Fifteenth Ave in Austral is the "spinal road" leading Liverpool CBD into the new Badgery's Creek airport.

A southwest Sydney’s mayor’s campaign to push for “forgotten” road upgrades has raised concerns from two state MPs about what one claimed was a “blatant abuse” of taxpayers dollars for electioneering.

Liverpool mayor Ned Mannoun called for council to allocate $100,000 from the general funds during his mayoral minute at a council meeting on Wednesday to appoint a person to oversee the campaign, lobbying, advocacy and petitioning to the NSW Government for upgrades to Fifteenth Ave in Austral and Cowpasture Rd.

Mr Mannoun said in his mayoral minute while Fifteenth Ave is the “spine road” connecting Liverpool CBD to the new Badgerys Creek Airport, traffic backs up over three kilometres during peak hour.

“It is also one of only two roads leading out of Middleton Grange which results in extreme traffic delays .... it takes residents 40 minutes to travel 300 metres,” he said.

Liverpool mayor Ned Mannoun. Picture: Monique Harmer

“Cowpasture Rd also requires a significant upgrade for the traffic flow for now and for the future and as a minimum needs to be upgraded from Fifteenth Ave to the M7.

Mr Mannoun said during the meeting while council signed an agreement with the federal and state governments to fund $50m for Fifteenth Ave upgrades, it “appears to have been forgotten”.

“We acknowledge that $50m has been provided for Fifteenth Ave, however that makes up 10 per cent of the costs required for the Fifteenth Ave works,” he said.

Liverpool councillor and MP Charishma Kaliyanda said during the meeting she raised concerns about council using a “significant amount of ratepayers money” months away from election time.

“I absolutely agree with the need for infrastructure for our fast growing community … but I’m going to name the elephant in the room. We are just over six months out from a local government election,” she said.

Liverpool MP and councillor Charishma Kaliyanda.

Mr Mannoun asked Cr Kaliyanda in the meeting, if “you’re implying that this is being used for political purposes” and requested she retracted her statement.

“I actually would now on this basis, then question whether you actually have a conflict of interest in the matter considering you’re part of the government,” he said.

“Because it seems that you don’t want us to lobby your government.”

Cr Kaliyanda said in the meeting while she still agreed with the need for advocacy, her “concern is with the recruitment of an additional person”.

“And the allocation of such a significant amount of ratepayers money so close to a council election where it could be construed as political,” she said.

Leppington MP Nathan Hagarty said the campaign was “a blatant abuse of rate payers’ money for electioneering”

Leppington MP Nathan Hagarty said the $100,000 could be better spent on “keeping Liverpool clean”.

“Despite the neglect of the previous state government and the current Council, I’ve secured $50m for the upgrade of Fifteenth Ave in this year’s budget,” he said.

Mr Hagarty said the $100,000 could be better spent on “filling potholes, cutting overgrown grass and keeping Liverpool clean.”

“This decision shows that the mayor and CEO have no interest in advocating for Austral and would rather palm their jobs off to an overpaid lobbyist.”

Labor councillor Betty Green agreed with the campaign but said the role of advocacy was “something I’d expect the mayor or the CEO to do because that’s where the power sits”.