Meet the Leppington candidates for the 2023 NSW state election

The state election candidates for Leppington reveal their top priorities as campaigning ramps up with days left until NSW decides who the next leader will be.

Some of the candidates in the seat of Leppington.

In less than a week, Leppington residents will flock to the polling booths and decide who will lead the next chapter of the region’s future in politics.

With March 25, rapidly approaching and pre polling now open, campaigns are in full swing and eight politically diverse candidates are vying for the new electorate seat.

The candidates putting up their hands to represent the people of Leppington have revealed their top priorities should they get elected. Here is what they had to say.

Therese Fedeli: Liberal

Camden mayor Therese Fedeli has turned her eye to state politics and is ready to vie for the new electorate of Leppington.

Growing up in Liverpool, Ms Fedeli’s father ran a local fruit shop, and then she, and he husband Frank, raised their family here.

“Having raised our own family and helping our children now raise theirs, I understand the challenges faced by local families in Leppington, especially cost of living, and the importance of good local schools and healthcare,” she said.

“Running a small business I started with my husband, I have experienced first-hand the pressures small businesses face and know the importance of small businesses for creating jobs and opportunities for local communities.

Therese Fedeli.

“Community has always been important to me. That’s why I first ran for Council and have been part of local community groups like Rotary to support my community.”

Ms Fedeli said she wanted to use her experience to fight for services and facilities families need, provide cost of living support, and make Western Sydney an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.

“My final pitch to locals is about the incredible announcement from the Perrottet Liberal Team - the Kids Future Fund,” she said.

“This election is so important because we are the only team who will deliver this initiative.

“It starts with $400 for every child under ten to set up their future so they can invest in education or housing when they reach 18. Let’s not let Leppington stall. We need to keep NSW moving forward with a Perrottet Liberal Government.”

Danica Sajn: Sustainable Australia Party

Sustainable Australia Party candidate Danica Sajn decided to run in the state election to “de-corrupt politics in NSW” and implement sustainable solutions.

“Having studied science and education, I eventually became a local science teacher for many years,” she said.

“However, my heart always remained with my first love, environmental biology.

“I eventually furthered my studies firstly in business and then gained a Master of Environmental Law from the ANU. Currently, I run my own small business in Narellan.”

Danica Sajn.

Ms Sajn has lived in southwest Sydney after moving to the region with her family in the 1970s.

“The three main issues I want to act on as your member for Leppington are protecting our environment, stopping overdevelopment and stopping corruption,” she said.

“Sustainable Australia Party is an independent community movement with a science and evidence-based policy platform.

“We are fighting to protect our environment, stop overdevelopment and stop corruption.

“This includes protecting endangered species habitats, native forests and local tree canopies; reducing Australia’s waste production; acting on climate change; stopping inappropriate high-rise and sprawl; delivering new community infrastructure before more housing; stabilising Australia’s population size; transparent reporting of political donations and lobbying; banning political donations from big business and unions.”

Apurva Shukla: The Greens

Apurva Shukla is The Greens’ candidate for Leppington and did not respond to questions by deadline, but an online statement explained he was a fresh university graduate who wanted to fight for a better future after having seen the “broken political system”.

“There’s nothing like youth to bring the focus on the decisions being made in politics now that will have disastrous ramifications throughout my lifetime,” he said.

Apurva Shukla

“At 22 years old, I am so disillusioned by our two-party system that offers only a pretence of choice and never addresses the issues that matter the most to young people.

“I want Greens in government so that we can stop pretending nothing is wrong when 1 in 100-year climate disasters unfold every month.”

In his online statement, Mr Shukla wrote that the Greens’ plan to provide free education is incredibly important to him.

“I want to stop other people from facing my reality - where after three years of university study, I am facing a massive debt that will further lock me out of saving for a home deposit,” he said.

“I will advocate for a stronger public welfare and health system that allows the most vulnerable people to live in safety and dignity.

“I stand for the Greens because I believe that together we can fight for a better future. The Greens will bring us one step closer to a country with a strong and robust safety net where no one gets left behind. Where bare necessities like affordable housing, free healthcare and a sustainable future are treated as rights and not a privilege.”

Mandar Tamhankar: One Nation

Mandar Tamhankar is the One Nation candidate for Leppington, but did not respond to the questions by deadline.

Nathan Hagarty: Labor

Liverpool City Councillor Nathan Hagarty, 42, has been a lifelong resident of southwest Sydney and has decided to take politics to the next level.

A husband and dad, Mr Hagarty is also the treasurer of Local Government NSW and sits several community organisations and a superannuation fund.

He said he decided to run over concerns about the region‘s infrastructure and services.

“Our roads are no longer fit for purpose, we have a severe lack of school and health infrastructure, and local families are being placed under increasing cost of living pressures,” he said.

“Thousands of new houses have been built in areas like Austral and Leppington - yet the services we need have not been put in place.

“Seeing this need, I couldn‘t sit idly by and watch our community continue to be neglected. I have the skills and passion to make our voices heard and fight for what our area needs.”

Mr Hagarty said the cost of living, education and health were the three main concerns voters had raised.

He added that a NSW Labor government would end privatisation, cap tolls to $60 per week, and have delivered tangible savings to the cost of energy.

“We will also build a new high school in Leppington to cater for the growing population in our area … we have committed to upgrades to existing local schools, including the conversion of Eagle Vale High School into a sports high school,” he said.

“Finally, the state of our health system has been raised by local families countless times during this campaign.

Nathan Hagarty.

“Southwestern Sydney Local Health District is seeing elective and emergency wait times increase, while local residents are leaving our hospitals before receiving care at alarming rates.

“It‘s simply not good enough, and we will do something about it.”

Mr Hagarty said NSW Labor would ensure safe staffing levels in the region‘s hospitals and build a new hospital in the west of the electorate to take the pressure off Campbelltown and Liverpool Hospitals.

In his final pitch to voters, Mr Hagarty said the NSW government had neglected local families in the Macarthur region and southwest Sydney.

“Families are suffering from increasing bills, our local infrastructure is no longer fit for purpose, and our health and education systems are in crisis,” he said.

“We need a fresh approach for our local area.

“We need a government that will listen to our needs and a local member that will fight for our fair share. I want to be your strong advocate in Macquarie Street so that we can make our local area the best that it can be.”