Cooks River, Belmore music hub priorities in Watson

Watson Labor MP Tony Watson has retained his federal seat, despite a significant swing. Let’s take a look what he promised voters.

Watson federal Labor MP Tony Burke greets a supporter while his wife Skye votes at Punchbowl Public School on election day. Picture: Jordan Shields

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He suffered a more than 4 per cent swing against him but long-serving Watson MP Tony Burke has retained the safe Labor seat he has held since 2004.

Now that Mr Burke’s been retained, despite his primary vote falling 3.7 per cent and a two-candidate preferred swing to the Liberal Party of 4.10 per cent, let’s take a look at what he promised voters.

Tony Burke arriving at Parliament House in Canberra last week. Picture Kym Smith

The Canterbury Bankstown Express asked during the federal election campaign where Mr Burke stood on local issues including the Cooks River, the planned Multicultural Arts and Sports Facility at Belmore Sports Ground, the Sydenham to Bankstown Metro rail project and the future of Canterbury Racecourse.

Mr Burke said his No. 1 priority was bringing the Cooks River back to health, followed by fixing local schools and hospitals, helping people with cost of living by improving wages and penalty rates

“We also need to give people access to cheaper, cleaner renewable energy,” Mr Burke said.

During the campaign, Mr Burke said cleaning up the Cooks River would be a priority project, with Labor committing $200 million to bring urban waterways and habitat corridors back to health.

Mr Burke said the Cooks River was full of rubbish and despite council intervention, more needed to be done — a large amount of the ocean plastics which caused extraordinary damage to marine life and seabirds came directly from urban rivers.

Members of the Cooks River Alliance and the Mud Crabs, with federal Labor MPs Tony Burke (Watson), Anthony Albanese (Grayndler) and state MP Sophie Cotsis (Canterbury) announcing funding for the river.

Priorities for the site included:

• Naturalisation of concreted river banks to stop contaminants flowing into the River.

• Installation of rain gardens along the river catchment as a key element of environmentally sensitive urban design.

• Increase the number of gross pollutant traps to prevent rubbish and recyclable material from entering the river.

Also during the campaign Mr Burke, Canterbury state Labor MP and Canterbury Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour announced that Labor would spend $1.5 million to go towards the construction of a music hub and community space at Belmore Sports Ground as part of the Belmore Master Plan.

The music hub would accommodate students and musicians, giving them a place

to learn, practice and collaborate.

Watson MP Tony Burke (kneeling second from left) with Canterbury Bankstown councillor Bilal El-Hayek (standing), Richard Petkovic (Cultural Arts Collective artistic director), Canterbury Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour and Canterbury MP Sophie Cotsis with members of the Cultural Arts Collective at Belmore.

Mr Burke said the funding included providing teachers and

mentors through the SongMakers program as well as a

soundproof room, instruments, amps, cords and editing equipment.

“The commitment we have announced is aimed at boosting music in our

community. Labor supports every aspect of Australian music,” Mr Burke said.

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Mr Burke has been appointed to Labor’s shadow cabinet under Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese as the Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations and the Arts.

He said he was honoured the community had re-elected him in Watson.

“What it means is that for another 3 years my role will be to try and stand in the way of the cuts and the chaos that we know a Morrison Government will try to deliver.”

Watson covers Ashfield, Bankstown (part), Belfield, Belmore, Campsie, Canterbury (part), Chullora, Croydon Park, Enfield, Greenacre, Kingsgrove, Lakemba, Mount Lewis, Punchbowl, Rookwood, Roselands and Strathfield South.