NSW Election 2023: Meet the candidates for Parramatta
The western Sydney seat of Parramatta is a key battleground, with the Liberals determined to retain it against a Labor candidate who enjoys a high profile as the city’s mayor.
Parramatta
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Parramatta Liberal incumbent MP Geoff Lee’s retirement announcement in August signalled the start of an energetic campaign from major parties to win over constituents in the key seat.
Mr Lee has retained Parramatta since 2011 and holds it by 6.5 per cent. The battle for the seat, which stretches from Westmead to Clyde and Ermington, has produced a slew of Liberal promises.
They include $5m for the Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite community, $111m to build the Parramatta PCYC, a $56m Parramatta Park upgrade and a pledge to save the Roxy theatre – which Labor has matched.
Labor’s pledges include building light rail stage two and has pitched a fresh start for voters battling the cost of living.
Little-known North Parramatta lawyer Katie Mullens has hit the hustings as the Liberal hopeful against Labor candidate Donna Davis, who enjoys a high profile as Parramatta’s Lord Mayor – a position she has held since January last year.
They are challenging Greens hopeful Ben Hammond, One Nation candidate Mritunjay Singh and the Sustainable Australia Party’s David Moll.
Donna Davis, Labor
Why are you running?
As a local councillor, Lord Mayor of Parramatta and now as your Labor candidate, my priority is listening to our community.
At this critical moment for Parramatta, I have the local experience to take advantage of the opportunities before us and deliver the essential infrastructure and services our growing community deserves.
Labor’s Fresh Start Plan will introduce minimum safe staffing levels in our public hospitals, build new schools in Westmead, Sydney Olympic Park and Melrose Park, upgrade schools in Dundas, Newington and Wentworth Point, and start construction on essential infrastructure like Parramatta light rail stage two and Peninsula Park in Wentworth Point.
How long have you lived in the electorate/area?
I’ve lived locally for almost 30 years, raising our sons here with my husband Michael.
What is your final pitch to voters?
As a local councillor, Lord Mayor of Parramatta, and now as your Labor candidate, my priority is listening to our community.
After 12 years in office, Dominic Perrottet and the Liberals’ best days are behind them. Parramatta needs a fresh approach.
I will use my experience to deliver the essential services we rely on – like new schools for our growing community, improved public hospital staffing, introducing a $60 a week toll cap and establishing a publicly owned clean energy company to put an end to the privatisation of our energy assets and put downward pressure on power prices.
With your support, I’ll keep listening and deliver a fresh approach for Parramatta.
What do you plan to do about Parramatta's housing affordability crisis?
After 12 years in office, Dominic Perrottet and the Liberals have failed to address the housing affordability crisis.
Their only plan is to rollout a forever tax on the family home, making housing less affordable for both homeowners and renters.
They just don't get it.
Ben Hammond, The Greens
Why are you running?
The Greens have, and will continue, to fight for social, economic and environmental justice. Parramatta cannot just be a place that developers heap high rises into, it needs to be a place where community participation and wellbeing is central to the planning process. Labor and Liberal accepted $4.3m last financial year from developers and property industry groups. The Greens NSW took $0. I will be a strong voice for democracy and against the corporate takeover of our democracy.
How long have you lived in the electorate/area?
I was born in Westmead and grew up in Blacktown. I have spent the majority of my life in western Sydney, except for overseas study or during the pandemic, when I worked as a picker and packer on farms across Australia during the staff shortages in agriculture. I now live and work in Harris Park with my fiance and our indoor cat, where I work with data to optimise safety procedures on job sites.
What is your final pitch to voters?
We are often told to believe that the current inflation is due to high wages, yet huge multinational corporations are posting record profits. We can all see that inflation is driven by corporate greed. More than ever, we need a strong champion for improved public services including education and healthcare. I will protect the environment, lower the cost of living and remove the public sector wages cap. I will slam the door on the corporate donations that are buying our democracy out from under us. I will fight tooth and nail for our community, and I won’t let them take advantage of us any longer.
What do you plan to do about Parramatta's housing affordability crisis?
We will immediately get rents back under control and introduce better minimum standards in rental accommodation. We will enable long-term leases and strictly regulate tenancy databases and lease applications, as well as ban third party platforms and rent bidding. We will allow the transfer of bonds directly from one property to another, and let renters have pets.
Katie Mullens, Liberals
Why are you running?
I’ve lived in Parramatta for most of my adult life, it’s my home and I’m passionate about the people who live in the area.
I come from humble beginnings, I grew up in a small country town and moved to Parramatta to study law – I’m actually the first person in my family to get a university degree.
I know there are cost of living challenges right now and the Perrottet Liberal Government is the team to support households with their strong financial experience and 70 support measures on the Service NSW website like Toll Relief, Back To School, Energy Bill Support, Active Kids and First Lap.
My desire is to be a true advocate and representative for the community. Working as a lawyer has given me a lived grassroots experience in the community and I know this will translate well to representing the community on as broader scale.
How long have you lived in the electorate/area?
I’ve lived in Parramatta most of my adult life. It’s home.
What is your final pitch to voters?
I’ve witnessed first hand the transformation of this city since it became a Liberal-held seat in 2011. I don’t want that to stall.
Geoff Lee has done an incredible job as local member during that entire time and I want to continue that legacy and keep Parramatta moving forward. The billions of dollars put into Parramatta has helped the area become a better place to live, work and raise a family.
There are many works in the pipeline that I am excited to see completed, such as Parramatta light rail stages one and two, the Metro, Powerhouse, investment into Westmead Hospital, upgrades to the Riverside Theatres and more.
These investments are critical and are only possible because of the Perrottet Liberal Government’s strong economic record to keep NSW moving forward.
What do you plan to do about Parramatta’s housing affordability crisis?
Housing affordability is an issue in Parramatta and I have spoken to many, many locals about it. I understand the challenge of trying to find a place to live.
We need to increase the supply of homes and ensure that crucial infrastructure is built to support this as well.
What is important for first home buyers specifically to know is that the Perrottet Liberal Government has a comprehensive plan to assist them avoid paying stamp duty. The First Home Buyers Choice goes all the way up to $1.5m homes. It’s there to help them get into the market faster.
Mritunjay Kumar Singh, One Nation
Why are you running?
I am a high school teacher. I have worked in some of the so-called “difficult-to-teach” schools and also in some of the most successful schools both in the private and public Sector. I am a history and mathematics teacher and I have been recognised for producing some of the best HSC results in mathematics.
I have the courage to state what is wrong in NSW school education, educational infrastructure and educational values, and why the educational outcomes are falling continuously over the last 20 years.
How long have you lived in the electorate/area?
I live in Kogarah. I have established and, with other volunteers, continue to run a Hindi community language school in Parramatta for more than five years. Fifty per cent of my work, from where I earn my livelihood, is located in the office in Parramatta CBD.
I run a community library which is about 200m from the edge of the Parramatta constituency and most of the clients are from the Parramatta constituency. My extended family lives in and around Parramatta. I have run and managed multiple community events and I have great connections with the youth, families and senior citizens of Parramatta.
What is your final pitch to voters?
There is a need for professionals to be coming into politics. There needs to be greater respect for hardworking people and the taxpayers.
Taxpayers money needs to be spent respectfully for nation building and not for buying votes off a few sections of society.
Nations are built in family and school classrooms. There needs to be greater respect for family and traditional values. Successful teachers, principals and schools need to be recognised and their models replicated. There needs to be zero tolerance for crime on the streets and bullying and bad behaviour in classrooms.
What do you plan to do about Parramatta’s housing affordability crisis?
Council and government regulations have become the biggest hurdle for affordable housing. We plan to demolish the green tape and reduce average house prices by more than $110,000 only by this method.
We plan to take money being wasted in the name of renewable energy and use it for helping businesses and help people’s earning and savings from energy price hike and work for immediate release of land to reduce pressure on the existing housing.
David Moll, Sustainable Australia Party
Why are you running?
The reason I nominated for the Sustainable Australia Party is because it is the only political party that genuinely understands the cause of the deterioration of our economy, environment and social wellbeing.
The Sustainable Australia Party is also the only party that has the policies needed to address all of these concerns.
How long have you lived in the electorate/area?
I have lived in North Parramatta for over 20 years and I am working full time as a forklift driver.
What is your final pitch to voters?
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; and banning political donations from big business and unions.
What do you plan to do about Parramatta’s housing affordability crisis?”
In the short term, we need better investment in public and affordable housing. We also need to address the root cause of the housing crisis, being government-engineered hyper-demand.
To address this, we need to phase out tax concessions for property investors, ban foreign ownership and stabilise Australia’s population size.
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