Ultra-marginal NSW seat of East Hills finely poised as election looms

It was one of the nastiest smear campaigns in Australian political history. Now the candidate unfairly labelled a “pedophile lover” is back.

Taking the winding train line that rolls through the greenery of southwestern Sydney and stepping out to the village community of Padstow, it’s easy to forget the problems of the big city.

“War zone” is perhaps the last phrase on earth you’d use to describe this sleepy corner of Australia’s biggest metropolis, but that’s how Labor state election candidate Cameron Murphy describes it.

He’s talking about the everyday issues such as parking and overdevelopment that left the people of East Hills up in arms.

And, while it’s true that these problems are faced by many other parts of Sydney as well, you don’t have to dig too deeply to figure out why this particular political battle is so emotive.

Beneath its laid-back middle Australia veneer, a battle is brewing in the ultra-marginal seat which could ultimately decide the NSW Election in less than two weeks’ time. Last time round, the Liberals won East Hills by just 372 votes.

But it’s also the scene of one of the nastiest smear campaigns in Australian political history, and the victim of that scandal is back on the ballot paper.

Four years ago, thousands of gloss pamphlets were slipped in letterboxes and scattered on the streets — spreading horrific and false accusations about Labor’s Cameron Murphy.

His posters were defaced with stickers which read “paedophile lover” and “I believe in the rights of child rapists” — in a twisted and false reference to the father-of-two’s presidency of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties.

Cameron Murphy was subjected to a vile smear campaign in the last election. Picture: Supplied.

It was so vile, that it led to former Liberal campaign manager Jim Daniel facing charges. He was acquitted of distributing unauthorised pamphlets, but admitted emailing other damaging information.

Mr Murphy told news.com.au the “disgraceful” campaign had a “horrible effect” on his “life and kids”, but it wasn’t going to stop him running again to stand up for East Hills.

“It was disgraceful, that’s what it was. But I’m not going to let something like that get to me, because otherwise the people responsible for that win and, for me, what’s more important is standing up for the community,” he said.

“If I let that get to me and I let that get under my skin, then they win and I’m not going to let that happen.

“I’m doing this because I want to make this community a better place for my kids growing up and that’s what drives me. I’m going to make sure I win.”

Cameron Murphy said East Hills has become a parking war zone. Picture: Robert Pozo/AAP

And, if polls are anything to go by, he has a solid chance, as recent results have put Mr Murphy and his opponent, Liberal candidate Wendy Lindsay, at level pegging.

Sitting member, Glenn Brookes, who was found to have breached campaign finance laws, is not recontesting, but the Liberals’ new face on the block has already seen how tense the battle for political power in this part of the world can be.

Last month, while out campaigning, she said she was abused by an angry commuter at Revesby railway station, who repeatedly kicked and broke an A-frame election poster.

She told the Sydney Morning Herald, the woman said: “The Libs are refugee abusers and you’re disgusting.”

A local community radio station manager and East Hills Woman of the Year in 2015, Ms Lindsay says she is “fighting for better infrastructure and transport” in the area, as well as more funding for “schools, health and aged care services”.

She also happens to live just around the corner from Mr Murphy in the leafy village-like hub of Padstow to the electorate’s east.

It’s here Mr Murphy, a barrister who worked with vulnerable young people and families, moved to the area eight years ago from his tiny city apartment to raise his two kids with his wife, so they could enjoy having a garden and space to run around.

Wendy Lindsay said she will be ‘fighting for better infrastructure and transport’ in the area. Picture: Robert Pozo/AAP

And, walking through the suburb’s streets, where the only sound is the hum of cicadas and the chatter of an elderly couple strolling to the town centre for a late-morning coffee at Gloria Jean’s, it’s clear why people want to live here.

It couldn’t feel more like middle Australia and data from the last census on East Hills backs this up.

It has sizeable immigrant communities from Vietnam, Lebanon and China, but there’s a higher percentage of people born in Australia than average.

Homeowners have exactly average monthly mortgage repayments on their mostly old-style single and double-storey houses. There’s no sight of the garish high-rise apartment buildings which have upset so many residents in other parts of Sydney.

But while walking through the suburb’s streets, Mr Murphy pointed through to the back of one of those modest-looking, old-style homes and explained why so many people are concerned about what’s happening in their quiet community.

He said medium-density development in the shape of duplexes and multiple granny flats sit where spacious family gardens used to be — and it’s pushing the population up, with dire consequences.

“We’ve got a war zone on our streets where you just can’t park anywhere,” Mr Murphy said. “And, in most parts of Sydney you could expect that when you’re around transport nodes like train stations. But, what’s happening here is we’re getting extra people coming in through increased development in the form of duplexes and villas.

“I don’t have a problem with them, but it’s just the sheer size and scale where every street has this uncontrolled overdevelopment, because it means you can’t park in your own street at night-time.

“I’m fighting to maintain the village atmosphere, because if we have four more years of the Liberals then we’ll end up look like Wolli Creek or Hong Kong.”

He believes he and Labor have the policies to slow down development — such as scrapping “unfair housing targets” and ending spot rezoning so developers can’t bypass council — and he squarely blames the state government for the current situation.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has been out campaigning in the ultra-marginal areas. Picture: Dean Lewins/AAP

He said there has been a reduction in rail services to the city with more un-airconditioned services than anywhere else, while Revesby police station is falling apart and Bankstown hospital desperately needs investment.

“We’ve had eight years of neglect,” he said. “It’s like the government just doesn’t care.”

Talking to locals, it was clear that many of them enjoyed living in East Hills because of its “village vibes” and open space, but they also told news.com.au there were some key issues that need addressing.

Sharron Vasil, an 18-year-old retail worker who lives in Picnic Point and drives to Padstow every day, agrees that parking is a big problem in the area — saying she has no choice but to drive because public transport options are limited.

“There’s just too many timed zones and too many no stopping zones, you can’t park anywhere,” she said.

Simon Millar, a 26-year-old from Padstow Heights was just one of many residents who — without any prompting — told news.com.au the state government’s $729 million demolition and rebuilding of Moore Park’s Allianz Stadium in the city’s east has left them frustrated at the Coalition.

“We really need that money here in East Hills, because the roads are getting real sh*tty, the hospital’s run down and there’s not enough schools,” he said.

“I’m not happy about it and a lot people I know around here are not happy about it.”

Despite its problems, he described Padstow as a “nice and diverse” area which has it better than most of Sydney in terms of green space. But he said public transport to the CBD could be a bit better and cheaper — as it costs him the same amount (around $40 a week) to drive to the CBD every day as it does to take the train.

Many residents said the state government’s $729 million demolition and rebuilding of Moore Park’s Allianz Stadium has left them frustrated. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Peter Edgehill, a 67-year-old from Padstow, said he felt like population growth in the area was outpacing infrastructure, but that the roads and public transport had generally improved in the past few years.

However, Harry Davies, an 80-year-old Panania resident of 40 years, was not so positive — saying he’d heard it all before and the candidates vying for local votes should take a leaf out of Donald Trump’s book.

“Even here, we are seeing the effects of overpopulation because the schools and hospitals aren’t keeping up,” he said.

“I’ve heard Labor talking about controlling development, but they are already the ones in charge of that because they control the council so they haven’t done diddly-squat. So why would I vote for them?

“Nobody likes Donald Trump because he does what he says. Perhaps these candidates should be taking notes.”

News.com.au has tried to contact Liberal candidate Ms Lindsay several times for comment.

Candidates: Wendy Lindsay (Lib), Cameron Murphy (ALP), Sue Virago (Greens), Heather Barnes (Animal Justice Party), Christopher Brogan (Independent), Owen Butt (Christian Democratic Party).