Canterbury Bankstown Mayor Asfour signs up for union’s Even Growth campaign

The upgrade of Henry Lawson Drive and the Kogarah to Parramatta rail line via Bankstown will enhance the lives of residents in Canterbury Bankstown, according to its mayor.

Canterbury Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour signs the Unions NSW Even Growth campaign with secretary Mark Morey at Henry Lawson Drive.

• Beware of cloned cards in Canterbury Bankstown
• Man charged for obscene act in Bankstown store
• Government's train wreck of policies slammed

A full upgrade of Henry Lawson Drive and the Kogarah to Parramatta rail line via Bankstown would enhance the lives of the residents in Canterbury Bankstown — which is set to top Tasmania in terms of population — according to its mayor.

Signing up for the Unions NSW’s Even Growth campaign, which calls for an urgent rebalancing of Sydney’s population and housing to reduce the strain in our areas, Mayor Khal Asfour today stressed that Bankstown’s population is set to overtake Tasmania’s in the coming decade.

“Accommodating half-a-million people needs proper planning and resources,” Cr Asfour said.

Henry Lawson Drive should be upgraded, according to the mayor. Picture: Simon Bullard

“That’s why I’m signing onto the Unions NSW Even Growth campaign — to make sure Sydney’s growth is managed fairly.”.

Even Growth brings together western Sydney mayors and trade unions to urge a mix of city-wide fixes as well as specific congestion busters in the area.

Mayor Khal Asfour with Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey and Canterbury state Labor MP Sophie Cotsis.

“After eight years of Coalition Government, Sydney’s west and south west are bursting at the seams, while the North Shore has low population density and underused infrastructure,” Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said.

“This imbalance has created a perfect storm of congestion, over development and worsening socio-economic outcomes for those in the west.

“Meanwhile less densely populated areas have reaped the benefits of Sydney’s growing population — that’s not fair.”

IN OTHER NEWS

The pledge calls for an incoming NSW government to ensure:

■ Major housing projects must be paired with major infrastructure projects and timelines.

■ Greater Sydney Commission’s housing targets must be revised to ensure Sydney’s growth is more evenly spread and matched with existing infrastructure.

■ Apartments and townhouses, must be directed to those places where there is employment and good infrastructure.

■ The NSW Government must invest in making housing more affordable through zoning and inclusive development schemes.

■ The NSW Government must ensuring future growth plans embed measurable liveability targets.

■ Developers must pay their fair share of infrastructure costs for new communities’ wellbeing.

■ Rail and other public transport infrastructure must be built so density of rail lines, stations and bus services is the same in western Sydney as it is in the rest of Sydney.