Western Sydney mayors call on govt to address infrastructure needs

Western Sydney mayors are calling on the State Government to urgently address traffic congestion and uneven housing targets, saying the region is feeling the strain of population growth.

Liverpool Mayor Wendy Waller with Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey. Cr Waller is one of several western Sydney mayors to sign on to Unions NSW Even Growth campaign. Picture: Cindy Ngo

• $50 million boost for Liverpool Hospital carpark
• $10m for rapid transport link to new airport

Western Sydney mayors are calling on the State Government to urgently address traffic congestion and uneven housing targets, saying the region is feeling the strain of population growth.

Liverpool Mayor Wendy Waller is one of several western Sydney leaders who have signed on to Unions NSW’s Even Growth campaign, which aims to highlight the pressures the region is facing as its population surges.

Cr Waller is calling for a return of the fast train timetable for Liverpool, an upgrade to the intersection of the Hume Hwy and Hoxton Park Rd, as well as Heathcote Rd and the M5 motorway exit.

Cr Waller is calling for upgrades to Liverpool’s road network.

She said it was also crucial for all new developments to provide carparking facilities.

“People are finding it more difficult to get from point A to point B. Just going to the shops you get a line of cars,” she said.

“It’s about quality of life for many of our people here.”

Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey urged the government to “stop protecting the North Shore” and give western Sydney a “breather”.

“After eight years of Coalition government, Sydney’s west and southwest are bursting at the seams, while the North Shore has low population density and underused infrastructure,” he said.

Mr Morey said the people of western Sydney want growth and development because it brought jobs and generated the local economy, but not without the appropriate infrastructure.

“When you look at development in NSW and you look at where it’s occurred, 23 per cent of development in Sydney has occurred in western Sydney,” he said.

“At the same time development’s only grown at about 15 per cent on the North Shore and the southern planning areas. On top of that, western Sydney, while it’s taking all these people, it’s not getting the investment in the infrastructure to keep up with that development.”

The campaign is calling for a revision of housing targets across Sydney, investment in public transport infrastructure and affordable housing, and congestion-busting measures.

Mayors from other western Sydney councils, including Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, and Blacktown, have also backed the campaign.